Life With the Infected
by Maxforce
Summary: Jonah Valatina, a non-infected, has no idea what the hell has just happened. He now lives with a Hunter and a Witch, who go by the names of Ryan and Ellie respectively. Now he travels with them, his life forever turned upside down. T for language.
1. Jonah's New Life Begins

**Jonah's New Life Begins**

A teenage boy, sixteen years of age, plodded his way through the deserted streets. His normally tidy brown hair was now unkempt and greasy, his clothes wrinkled and cut in places. His cargo pants he wore held the only personal items he had managed to grab when escaping from his house, running from his neighbor, who had been covered in blood, grunting, trying to kill him. The jacket he wore was his father's army jacket, now the only thing he had to remember him by, as his father had been the one who stayed behind to protect him. His name was Jonah Valatina and he was thirsty, hungry, and fatigued after dealing with more people that had behaved like his neighbor. He didn't know about the Green Flu virus's sudden outbreak. He didn't know about the categories those infected fell into. The Common Infected, the people who now stumbled about, covered in blood, reacting to him only when he made a quick movement. And then the Special Infected, those infected with the Green Flu that still retain some form of intelligence, perhaps more than they let on, yet their appearances and abilities are unique to each sub category of the Special Infected. One such category would include the Hunter who had its eyes set on Jonah at the moment.

"What's going on?" Jonah mumbled to himself as he forced his legs to move, knowing that if he stopped, then he probably wouldn't get up. He heard a growl behind him and turned around as the Hunter pounced on him, but he didn't bother fighting back. The Hunter was about to begin clawing, but Jonah spoke. "Please…help," he whispered, his eyes slowly starting to close.

* * *

><p>Jonah woke up to the sound of crying, confusion holding his muddled mind. He looked around to see he was now indoors, while the only sound he could hear was that of a woman. He slowly stood up, holding his head, gently shaking it as it throbbed. "Is…is someone there?" he called out, walking through an open door into a room, where he saw a woman with very pale skin, her fingers like claws, looking like they were soaked in blood, those same hands held to her face as her shoulders gently moved up and down, her white hair following the movement, seated on the floor in the middle of the room. Her clothes were ragged, torn at the shoulders and thighs. This was another of the Special Infected, a Witch, but again, Jonah knows nothing about what is currently happening. "Um…m-miss?" The Witch stopped crying, looking up at Jonah slowly, Jonah fighting every instinct to not step back as her red eyes looked at him.<p>

* * *

><p>The Hunter from earlier walked into the building he had deposited Jonah, dragging a dead deer behind him. He stopped when he realized that he couldn't hear the Witch's crying and dropped the deer's leg, running into the room she had last been. When he arrived, he was dumbstruck as he saw her smiling, Jonah putting on something of a circus act, right now in the middle of juggling four empty beer bottles he had found in a couple of the rooms. The Hunter grabbed onto the door frame, his clawed fingers sinking into the wall and he climbed until he hung upside down from the ceiling just behind Jonah. The Witch looked at the Hunter, Jonah noticing the turning of her head. He turned around, dropping the bottles in surprise and falling backwards onto his butt. "H-hi," he said nervously, the Hunter dropping down. "Um…can you…speak?"<p>

"I can speak just fine, kid," the Hunter said, startling Jonah, who involuntarily scooted back an inch or two.

"Um…thanks," Jonah said meekly, feeling awkward. "I…appreciate you helping me."

"Well," the Hunter said, scratching the back of his head. "Uh…your welcome?"

"I'm Jonah," Jonah said, introducing himself, trying to make some small talk.

"Uh…Ryan," the Hunter replied. "That's Ellie," he said, pointing to the Witch behind Jonah.

"Um…Ryan…if you can speak…then can you tell me what's going?" Jonah asked. Ryan looked at him, his left eyebrow raised under his hood, surprised that this Jonah kid really didn't know what was going on.

"You…don't know…" Ryan looked from Jonah to Ellie, who shrugged her shoulders. "Do you know what the Green Flu is?"

"Um…sorta," Jonah nodded, thinking back to a discussion his biology class had before the Green Flu outbreak. "It's some sort of virus that attacks the brain, right?"

"Er, something like that," Ryan replied. "Uh…well, this is kind of awkward…um, there's been an outbreak of the Green Flu. There are some people, like you, who haven't been infected by it. And then there's the people you passed in the streets. And then…you have those like me and Ellie here."

"I don't get it."

"What he means," Ellie said, speaking for the first time, her voice soft, "is that we're different. There are more people like us who still retain the parts of the brain that allow for speech, understanding language, and better motor control. There are eight different types of people like us. We're only two of those eight…" Ellie got quiet again, as if embarrassed.

"Oh…then…why did you growl at me and…pounce on me?" Jonah asked, addressing Ryan now. Ryan shrugged his shoulders.

"Nothin' personal, kid. It's just that my encounters with Survivors normally involve being shot at. For me, it's kill or be killed, normally," Ryan said.

"Um…so, if I'm understanding all this correctly, there's been a Green Flu epidemic, I might be immune, and there are two different kinds of people who have been infected?"

"Pretty much."

"...My life has just been shot to hell, hasn't it?"

"Do you want the truth or the lie?" Ryan asked.

* * *

><p>Later, Ryan and Ellie were seated, talking softly, while Jonah explored around the building, looking for something to eat and drink. "Um, sorry to interrupt, but is there anything to eat or drink?" Jonah asked as he walked into the room.<p>

"Well, if you know how to start a fire and cook, there's the deer I brought back with me," Ryan said, jerking his thumb at the carcass.

"Er…why is it missing…chunks?"

"Well, we had to eat something," Ryan said. "We can't eat each other or you."

"You…ate it raw…" Jonah said.

"Yes, we did," Ryan replied. "Look, we've been infected. From what I've seen, it doesn't matter what kind of food we eat now. Cooked or raw, food is food."

"Okay then…well, what about drinks?"

"I think the sink still works. There's probably some glasses around you could use."

"Okay…thanks," Jonah said, walking out of the room. Ryan shook his head.

"What's wrong?" Ellie asked, her voice soft. Ryan was used to this, as her voice rarely, if ever, was raised.

"I just…I don't know why I brought that kid here," Ryan said. "This isn't like me…this isn't normal behavior for someone infected."

"Maybe it is," Ellie replied. "Maybe we've just been getting used to being shot at first."

"Hey, in my defense, I don't freak out when I suddenly get a light shined on me," Ryan said.

"I…know," Ellie said. "I just…I'm sorry. I can't help it. Sudden changes…when you're not here…well, they just…set something off in me." Ryan sighed, letting his head droop.

"Um…do you guys care that there aren't any utensils?" Jonah asked, startling Ryan as Jonah set a plate on the floor in front of him, a plate already in front of Ellie. On it was some of the deer meat, now cooked.

"What are you doing?" Ryan asked, looking up at Jonah.

"Well…it's kind of a thank you for letting me stay here," Jonah said. "I can cook pretty well and my dad taught me about hunting and skinning game. If…I can stay here for a while longer, I'd appreciate it…"

"Kid," Ryan said. "Listen, we don't actually live here. We keep moving around. I'm not sure it'd be safe for you. And then…well, you know those unique people like us? If we run into them, it'd be kind of hard to keep them off of you. I have a hard enough time making sure some of them don't hurt Ellie."

"Well…it'd be worse if you just left me alone," Jonah pointed out, Ellie nodding her head in agreement. "I mean…well, look at me. I'm not exactly what you would call intimidating. I can't protect myself very well. I don't know where I am. And…well, I just…"

"Don't want to be alone," Ellie finished, Jonah nodding, his head hung as if he were ashamed. Ryan sighed, picking up a strip of deer meat.

"Alright, fine," Ryan said. "But, you have to understand, if we run into other Survivors, you're going with them. You will not tell them about us, you will not tell them about the others like us, who can still speak and think clearly. You won't try to find us if you get separated from them. And you have to be able to pull your own weight somehow. Is that clear?" Jonah nodded.

"Yes, sir, it's clear," Jonah replied. "Um…I have one more question…" Ryan sighed again.

"Alright."

"Um…why would others want to hurt Ellie?"

"Well…others like her aren't exactly…liked. Few can tolerate them, because often, they start crying. They're easily startled when crying, I guess because they're caught up in some memory. They attack when startled, screaming. Now, there are some who will keep those like Ellie company, but only because they actually have the patience to do so." Ryan looked up as he placed the strip of meat in his mouth, chewing. "Anything else?"

"Er…is there a bathroom in this building?"

_Why do I get the feeling I've just lost what relative little routine I had?, _Ryan thought to himself as Ellie pointed down hall.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so, not exactly something one would expect. But it is something different. I got this from the idea that maybe the Special Infected are more than they appear to be. Perhaps they do still have the ability to speak. Maybe they only attack because they're used to being shot at. Yeah, yeah, a load of crap, I know, but this is a fanfiction, so I think I'm entitled to throwing that random theory out there. Please review and let me know what you think. I might continue this, I might not. Also, Jonah Valatina, Ryan, and Ellie are OC's of mine. But Left 4 Dead and Left 4 Dead 2 is owned by Valve, as well as the characters of the games, including the Common Infected, Special Infected, and the Survivors, who will be making an appearance if I do continue this story. Also, I'm still not sure how to classify this, so if someone has an idea, feel free to tell me. For now, it's just going to be humor.<strong>


	2. Fred Brings News

**Fred Brings News**

Jonah woke up, looking up to see Ellie had been gently shaking his shoulder. He sat up, stretching his arms over his head, rubbing the back of his neck. He was surprised that he had fallen asleep so easily, given that all he had was the floor and a rock for a pillow. "What's happening?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

"Ryan says it's time to go," Ellie replied, Jonah standing up.

"What time is it?"

"I don't have a watch," Ellie replied.

"Oh…well, is the sun out?"

"Just coming over the horizon."

"Okay," Jonah said, walking towards the door, but Ellie grabbed his arm, Jonah wincing as she unintentionally scratched him.

"Sorry," Ellie said. "But Ryan's dealing with Fred right now."

"Who?"

"Ryan, if you don't let me in there right now, I'm going in _my_ way," a voice said.

"Fred, wait!" came Ryan's voice, followed by a large infected breaking through the wall. One arm was massive, covered in what looked like rock, the thing's overalls undone on the large arm, while his other arm was almost nonexistent. This was another of the Special Infected, under the category of Charger. But most of the Special Infected he considered friends just called him by the name he used before being infected. Which was…well, Fred.

"A Survivor," Fred said in disbelief as Jonah now cowered on the other side of the wall. He turned to Ryan, who was shaking his head. "You're sheltering…a Survivor."

"Look, Fred," Ryan began, finding himself now pinned to the wall by Fred's arm.

"What the hell are you doing, helping one of _them_?" Fred demanded. "You know what they do!"

"Look, this kid is different," Ryan said. "He doesn't have any weapons, he doesn't even know what's going on. Ellie actually likes him, for Pete's sake!"

"Um…actually, I do have a weapon, but it's not much good for anything other than skinning," Jonah put in, pulling out a knife with a serrated edge on one side. He put it back in its sheath, which went back in his pocket. "I…don't know the first thing about fighting with knives, so…I can't really do much…"

"Fred, we're just giving him a little help until we can find some Survivors that can take him," Ellie said, though Jonah was a little surprised that she was hiding behind him, avoiding eye contact with Fred, who, by now, had put down Ryan and walked over to Jonah. Jonah looked up at Fred, who was a good foot and a half taller than the five foot, eleven inches teenager. Fred looked down at Jonah.

"Um…h-hi…I'm Jonah," Jonah said, putting out his hand. His father had once told him that one of the best ways to make a friend or at least start off on the right foot was to make the first introduction, followed by a gesture of peace, such as a handshake. Fred looked down at the hand in disbelief and then back up at Jonah's face.

"…Fred," he finally said, shaking the hand, being careful not to crush it. Inwardly, Jonah was crying with relief.

_What is with this kid?_ Ryan thought. _He could have been killed just now, yet he offered his hand to Fred and Fred actually shook it._

"So, you don't even know about the Green Flu epidemic, huh?" Fred asked, Ellie coming out from behind Jonah. Jonah shook his head. "Know anything about the Green Flu itself?"

"I know a little about it from biology, but the only thing I remember is that part of the virus does something to the brain," Jonah said.

"Biology, huh?" Fred asked, sighing. "Oh, how I miss my university job. But that's all shot to hell now. Fucking virus popped out of nowhere and when no one was looking, it decided to spread. Some of us got off lucky, being able to retain a couple memories and speech capabilities, but for the most part, we lost our natural appearances." Fred looked at Ryan, who was now sitting down, and at Ellie. "Those two are, for the most part, the same in their natural appearances. But me," Fred said, gesturing at himself with his large arm, "I'm stuck with this arm, and I can't even use my left arm anymore." Fred took a seat, causing the ground to shake, which in turn knocked Jonah down onto the floor.

"Um…so, you used to be a biology professor?" Jonah asked, crossing his legs. Fred nodded.

"But I can't even remember the most basic of the subject," Fred said. "I still know a little bit about the anatomy of a few different animals, as well as learned the anatomy of the different types of Special Infected, which is what the CEDA calls ones such as myself, Ellie, and Ryan. They even had the nerve to split us into sub categories of that. I'm what's known as a Charger to them, Ellie is a Witch, and Ryan is referred to as a Hunter."

"Oh, please, don't start that bullshit again," Ryan groaned. "Kid, I would suggest that you plug your ears for the next hour."

"How can you still not be even a little suspicious?" Fred asked. "Don't you think it's weird that the CEDA was able to react so quickly to the sudden outbreak. I mean, within one hour of the first call, they had evacs all over the country, safe rooms suddenly appeared, and then…I…I'm sorry, but I can't say the last part…anyways, Jonah, what Ryan is referring to is that I believe the CEDA are responsible for this epidemic. There are just too many coincidences for my liking is all." Fred then turned to Ryan, as if remembering something important. "Shit, I knew there was something that I had been forgetting. When you said that you're going to find some Survivors to dump the kid on, I forgot to tell you that I had found a group. There's an old man in a military uniform, a girl with brown hair in a ponytail and wearing a pink sweatshirt with running pants, a guy that looks like a biker punk with tattoos and no hair with a leather jacket, jeans, and fingerless gloves, and a black guy who looks like he might have been an office boy. I just saw a fellow Charger gunned down by them, a Witch killed, and a Hunter almost got one of them. And then Frank the Tank showed."

"Well, there go my hopes," Ryan said.

"Uh, actually…Frank is dead," Fred said. "He fell off a four story building, crushed under the fire escape. The Survivors are okay. They made it onto the roof and…well, I came here after watching, so I don't know where they are now. I was just coming to warn you two. They aren't very big fans of Witches."

"Do you know which way they might be headed?" Ellie asked.

"Well, last I saw, they were actually coming this way before they stopped to figure out what to do. From my understanding of it, they had been trying to get to a hospital of some kind, for a supposed CEDA evac. Just as they showed up, the helicopter left. After that, they came back to street level, trying to figure out what to do…at that time, the old man stuck his fingers into some slime, noting that the Common Infected aren't alone. He knows we exist," Fred finished. "And they met up with some of the dumber Special Infected. Frank was the only one there I think who was capable of actual speech. He attacked them after seeing the Charger, Witch, and Hunter killed one after the other. Oh, wait, I think there might have been a Smoker as well. Maybe…possibly…no, wait, definitely."

"So, we need to track them," Ryan said. "Fred, would you mind coming with us. Having some extra protection would be nice for once."

"Sure, Ryan. I'll help you guys out, until we get the kid out of here," Fred replied. "To think, I actually considered crushing you, Jonah. But you seem like a nice kid."

"Uh, thanks," Jonah said, gulping.

"Oh, uh, I forgot to mention, there's a Smoker waiting just outside," Fred said.

"Oh, that guy again," Ryan sighed. "Just ignore him, alright?" He stood up, walking over to Ellie, helping her up before putting her on his back. "Alright, let's go ahead and get moving. We'll have to find food on the way." They walked out of the door, passing by a man with black hair, large bumps all over his face, while his tongue hung out of his mouth. This was the Smoker Fred had been referring to. When he saw Jonah, his tongue whipped out, wrapping around Jonah's torso and neck, and would have dragged him back, had Fred not grabbed the tongue, pulling forward. The Smoker came with the tongue, falling flat on his face, when Ryan rolled him over with his foot, putting his foot on his neck. "The kid's with us. I want you to send a message to the others ahead of us and let them know. This kid," he said, nodding towards Jonah, "is not to be messed with at all. I don't care if he's in a group of twenty people who weren't infected, you let them know that if he's hurt, there will be hell to pay. You don't have to tell the commons. They won't get it." Ryan lifted his foot, grabbing the tongue at a different point, nodding to Fred, who yanked away from Ryan, the tongue snapping like string. "Oh. And if you try that again, your tongue won't be the only thing to go," Ryan said, hefting Ellie to allow her to get a better grip and for him to make it easier on himself to carry her. Fred had helped Jonah get untangled from the tongue, while Jonah looked ready to puke.

"Don't worry," Fred said, gently patting Jonah's shoulder. "It could have been worse. It could have been a Spitter." Fred and Ryan shuddered.

"Please, don't mention those," Ryan said.

"Sorry," Fred replied.

"What's a Spitter?" Jonah asked, the two shuddering again.

"Without a doubt, the ugliest of the Special Infected," Fred replied.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, shorter chapter, but I think I'll try to continue the story. Fred is also an OC of mine. Let me know how this going please.<strong>


	3. Jonah's Decision

**Jonah's Decision**

"Jonah, sweetie, explain to us again why you're carrying that katana," Zoey said, looking at him as he sat down on the couch. Jonah was still the newest to the group, after Ryan, Fred, and Ellie had managed to find a closet that the Survivors just happened to walk by. He felt guilty about having to leave them, since he had spent a week with them trying to find the group of four survivors and felt closer to them because of it.

"And not carrying a gun," Francis added, checking the large pile of ammo for 12-gauge shotgun shells.

"I just…I don't like guns," Jonah replied, shifting in the couch, which was torn up. He looked at the katana at his feet. _It's also the only thing that Ryan gave to me when he found it, _he finished in his head. He put his head in his hands, sighing.

"Well, guns are the only thing that are gonna keep you alive, kid," Francis said, walking over to take a seat beside him, resting his shotgun against the wall. "You're gonna have to at least learn how to use that thing when you're attacked. I can't keep saving your ass every time the horde comes."

"Hey, lay off the kid, Francis," Bill said. "He gave you his reasons. Granted, they aren't very sound, but he's still a sheltered kid."

"I just don't like killing," Jonah replied. "Alright? It's just…they're still human beings. It isn't their fault that they attack like that."

"Listen, I don't know where you got this information," Francis began, until Bill shut him up with a glare.

"Hey, the kid knows what he's doing," Louis chimed in. "I'm not sure if you noticed, Francis, but he just navigated his way through a horde and not a single one turned an eye at us. Even the Chargers left us alone, not even bothering to glance our way." Francis sighed, nodding.

"Point taken," Francis admitted. "Hey, how did you figure that out anyways?"

"Well…I just kind of noticed they only react to quick movements or loud noises," Jonah replied.

"Oh…so that's why they attack when I hit a car," Francis said. "I thought they just didn't like me scratching the paint," he said with a laugh, the others, save for Jonah, laughing at the attempt to lighten the mood a bit. Francis nudged him. "Come on, it was a joke," Francis said with a smile. Jonah smiled back, nodding.

"Sorry," he said. "I guess I just kind of spaced out for a second."

"That's another thing, kid," Bill said. "You've been with us for two days now and this is sixth time you've spaced out. Now, granted, it's only been in the safe rooms, but if that happens outside, we might not be able to help you." Bill took out a cigarette and a lighter. "You mind?" Jonah shook his head. He was the only one Bill asked, as everyone else was already used to the old man's smoking habits. Bill lit the cigarette, letting out some smoke from the side of his mouth. "So, mind explaining again how you got in that closet?"

"I was just looking for a place to hide," Jonah lied. "This was after I figured out that they only react to quick movement and noise and figured that if I stay out of sight and keep quiet, they'd eventually leave. Next thing I hear is gunfire and yelling. That's when I started banging on the door for help."

"And we found you in there, clutching a katana," Zoey said, Jonah nodding. "So, how did you manage to avoid the Special Infected, like the Hunter?"

"Er…I never ran into any," Jonah lied again. He remembered what Ryan had told him and he intended to keep this group in the dark for as long as he could. Or at least until they could get out of the current situation. "To be honest, the infection had just hit my hometown a week and a half ago. I remember my friends saying something about getting ready for it, but I didn't know what they meant."

"They must have been referring to Left 4 Dead," Zoey mumbled, the others looking at her.

"You say something?" Bill asked.

"No, nothing," Zoey replied, resting her head on the table in front of her. "Anyways, I'm gonna take a nap. Anyone gonna keep watch or are we going to hope that this safe room is as solidly built as the others?"

"I'll take first watch," Jonah offered. Bill nodded his agreement.

"The kid's the most alert right now," Bill said. "He's the only one who hasn't had to fight today or any day for that matter. He doesn't seem to be feeling the fatigue we're feeling, so we'll let him take the first two hours." After five minutes, the rest of the Survivors were asleep and Jonah sat watching the exit door. He was startled when he heard coughing just outside the door. He stood up and slowly walked forward to see a Smoker glaring in at them. "Hi," he said. The Smoker continued to glare. "Um…can you understand me? Or are you like the Common Infected?" The Smoker's left eyebrow raised in surprise.

"How did you know?" he asked, his voice raspy, but low.

"Because I…well, I just know…um, are you hungry?" Jonah asked, noting that the Smoker's eyes kept wandering to the cupboard in the safe room. He walked over, pulling out a can of chili. He popped the lid with his knife, finding a spork in one of the many drawers. He put it in the chili and walked back over to the Smoker, handing it to him through the bars. "Sorry it isn't cooked. But I can't risk them waking up and seeing you."

"Thanks," the Smoker said, hesitant in taking the can.

"I don't think it's poisoned," Jonah said as he watched the Smoker sniff it. "Hey, um…do you know a Hunter named Ryan?"

"Hmm…a Hunter named Ryan…that sounds kind of familiar," the Smoker said as it began to eat the chili.

"Oh…well, if you do know him and meet him, can you tell him Jonah said hi and that I'm doing fine?"

"Yeah, yeah," the Smoker nodded. He tossed the can and spork at random, walking away. "Thanks for the meal, kid. I'll try to see that your group can get to the next safe room without too much trouble." Jonah smiled, walking back to the couch. Meanwhile, the Smoker who had been given the chili was spreading the word to a group of fellow Special Infected, including a Jockey, two Hunters, a Charger, and a Boomer. "So, tomorrow, when they leave, just make sure they don't have too much trouble, alright?"

"I can't believe you're actually asking us to help Survivors who would rather shoot us on site," the Boomer said. "I mean, come on, a group took out your leg the other day. Didn't you just finish healing yesterday?"

"Look, all I know, is the kid gave me some chili and sent me on my way without so much as a glance at a gun," the Smoker replied. "By the way, any of you heard of some Hunter named Ryan?"

"Oh, I heard about that guy," the Hunter on the left said. His voice had a slight Canadian accent to it and he claimed that before the infection, he had been a hockey player. "He was traveling with some kid named Jonah. Said there would be hell to pay if the kid ever got hurt." The Smoker paled a little.

"Wait…Jonah…holy shit, I think I just ran into the kid!" The Smoker looked at the Hunter who had spoken. "Leaf, do you know where the guy is?"

"No, I don't," Leaf replied, shaking his head. "Last I heard, he was traveling with a Witch and Charger somewhere around here, but I don't know the specifics."

"Hmm…I better go back there and tell that kid, then," the Smoker said.

"Wait, wait, wait," the Charger said. "Now, Wretch, I know you can be naïve sometimes, but what are you going to do if the kid's group is awake?"

"Er…didn't really think about it…hmmm…Leaf, I need you to come with me. You're the quietest and if I have you check the room first, I should be okay. But don't do anything stupid," Wretch, the Smoker, said. "Better yet, tell him the Smoker with the chili sent you. Let him know about his friends being in town." Leaf nodded, running off into the night. "Now then, Puke, you were saying something the other day about…uh, Sentients, was it?"

* * *

><p>"Psst…hey, kid…Jonah," Leaf was saying from outside the safe room. Jonah stood up, walking over to the barred door. "Hey, hey, the Smoker with the chili sent me. Listen, your buddies, the Hunter, Charger, and Witch trio…they're in town right now. I don't know where they're at, but be careful with your current companions. Try to keep them away from each other." Jonah's eyes widened.<p>

"Really? Hey, thanks!" he replied, barely remembering to keep his voice at a whisper. "Hey, if you spot them, tell them I said hi."

"Sure, kid, sure," Leaf replied, jumping onto the roof of the safe room. "Oh, and your path should be pretty easy tomorrow. Wretch…that Smoker from earlier, that's his name, is spreading the word to leave your group alone tomorrow until you guys make it to the next safe room."

"Alright, thanks," Jonah said. He walked back over to the couch once more, watching the clock in the room.

* * *

><p>"Man, this is great," Francis said. "There hasn't been a single thing all day! I could get used to this!"<p>

"Don't get your hopes up, Francis," Bill said. "We may have had it easy today, but you never know what could happen next." Taking the rear of the group, Jonah was looking around, the katana now on his back.

"Hey, why do you think nothing's come near us all day?" Zoey put out there, Jonah smiling. He was the only one in the group who knew that many of the Special Infected were more sentient than previously believed, but that they only attacked because they were used to being shot at on sight.

"Maybe there's a party somewhere," Jonah put in, the others getting a small chuckle.

"Oh, shit," Louis said, pointing his gun at the safe room door, a mere twenty yards from them. In front of the door was a Witch, crying. Jonah tensed up. He didn't want them to start shooting, but he knew if he stopped them then there would trouble for him.

"Calm down, Louis," Bill said, putting his hand on the barrel of Louis's AK-47, gently lowering it. "We'll get a little closer, see how she reacts, alright? Then we'll figure out what to do. Francis, you keep your shotgun ready."

"Got it," Francis replied, cocking said weapon. "Just give the word and the bitch is crowned."

"Alright, here we go," Bill said. They slowly walked forward, stopping every few feet, until they were about six yards away from the Witch. "Shit. No way of getting past her," Bill whispered. "Alright, everyone, guns ready." They all checked their weapons, while Jonah gulped. "Ready…aim…"

"Wait!" Jonah said, jumping in front of the group, arms outstretched. "We can't do this!"

"Kid, get down," Francis said.

"No! This isn't right! She's still a human!" Jonah stopped when he noticed everyone paling, the crying stopped. Jonah turned around as the Witch tackled him, feeling his back hit the ground. He grimaced, closing his eyes as he waited for something to start hurting.

"Jonah!" Jonah looked at the Witch, who had started crying again, her arms wrapped around his waist, her head buried in his stomach.

"Someone mind explaining what the hell just happened?" Bill asked, the first to recover.

* * *

><p>Later in the safe room, Ellie hiding behind Jonah, the four Survivors were staring at Jonah as he finished talking. "So…what you're telling me is that most of the Special Infected…like this Witch…are still somewhat sentient," Bill said. Jonah nodded.<p>

"Well…that…is the biggest load of bullshit I have ever heard," Francis said, kicking the nearby table in the room. "So, if they've been able to talk all this time, why the hell do they keep attacking us?"

"Because you shoot first," Ellie said from behind Jonah.

"Because…because we shoot first?" Francis repeated.

"The Survivors before you…they always shot first…without asking or trying to make contact," Ellie replied, getting a little farther behind Jonah. Francis was starting to scare her a bit and she was also worried about Bill. "Everyone else just became used to it…Jonah's the first Survivor I've ever met who didn't attack…the first one Ryan and Fred have met, too."

"Speaking of which," Jonah said, "where are they? Why were you here, alone?"

"I…got separated from them," Ellie replied. "I got lost…and didn't know where to go…I just went for the nearest light…and found this place…" She began to cry again, clutching the back of Jonah's shirt. "I'm…no good alone…it's the fear that was ingrained into me when I became like this," she said, trying hard to keep her crying under control.

"Um…Ellie, was it?" Zoey asked, walking forward cautiously. "Do you remember which way or what direction you came from? Where you were separated?"

"I…"

BOOM

"Oh, great," Bill said, looking out the bars. "Just what we fucking need. A damn horde."

"We'll be okay in here, won't we?" Jonah asked.

"Yeah, but it's whoever's out there that's the problem," Louis replied. "If it's more Survivors, then we have to find some way to help them."

"Damn it, Fred, I told you not to go that way!" a voice yelled.

"Hey, I wasn't the one who pissed him off!" a second voice snapped back. "I told you, but you just had to keep egging the guy on!" Jonah looked out the window to see Ryan and Fred running down the street. He threw the door open, waving to them.

"Hey!" he yelled. "Over here!"

"Kid, close that fucking door!" Francis exclaimed, yanking Jonah back, then having to jump to the side as Fred came through the door, Ryan close behind. Francis kicked the door shut. Fred and Ryan, however, were currently looking between Bill, Zoey, and Louis, holding their hands up, while the Survivors held their weapons up and aimed.

"Um…we come in peace?" Fred put out there.

"Wait, they're okay!" Jonah exclaimed, pushing between Fred and Ryan. Once the three had lowered their weapons, Jonah turned around.

"Jonah?" Fred asked, his jaw hanging slack. He quickly readjusted it, the Survivors wincing as they heard a cracking noise. "Damn it, thing came unhinged again."

"Ryan! Fred!" Ellie said, jumping onto Ryan's back, crying. Ryan nearly fell to the floor from the sudden extra weight.

"Ellie?" he said, turning to look at her. "Where the hell have you been? Fred and I have been looking all over for you!"

"Anyone else thinking this is a dream?" Bill asked, Zoey, Louis, and Francis nodding. "Good. I didn't want to feel like I was going crazy?"

"Oh…well…this just became awkward," Ryan said, setting Ellie down on the floor.

"Tell me about it," Francis said. They then heard a banging and looked at the door to see a Tank hitting it repeatedly. "I'm guessing you guys pissed him off."

"He did it," Fred said quickly, pointing his good arm at Ryan. Ryan shot him a glare beneath his hoodie.

"Hey, you woke him up first," Ryan said.

"Far as I'm concerned, both of you pissed me off," the Tank suddenly said, his voice low and gravelly. Jonah walked forward, the Tank looking at him. "Whatta ya want?"

"Hi," Jonah said. He felt his knees knocking and gave his legs a couple of hits, trying to make them stop. He looked back up at the tank. "I'm Jonah."

"Okay…is that it? Can I get back to trying to rip these two in half?"

"Um…what's your name?"

"What's my…kid, in case you haven't noticed, I'm a giant beast of mass destruction that could tear you in half without so much as a sweat."

"But…you don't really seem like a mean guy…" Everyone watched, dumbfounded, as Jonah struck up this conversation, surprised at this timid boy's sudden courage. "You just seem a little upset right now."

"Well, yes, I suppose I am," the Tank replied. "Oh, name's Geoff, by the way. Anyways, yes, I am upset. Here I was, having a nice nap one minute, the next, that Charger over there has just woken me up with a rock to the head and then that Hunter makes a few comments about all Tanks having a pea sized brain. Stereotyping jerk. I will have you know that my IQ is much higher than that of my brethren. Furthermore, I would appreciate very much if you two would come out here so that I may give you your just desserts."

"Look, I am very sorry about the rock to the head. But climbing with only one arm is a lot harder than you would think," Fred said. Geoff thought about this before nodding.

"Okay, I will concede you that. But that still does not forgive your extremely insensitive comment," Geoff said, addressing Ryan.

"Um…sorry about that," Ryan said, rubbing the back of his head. "I've just…well, I guess that I was expecting you to be like the other Tanks I've run into. Sorry…"

"Well, I suppose I can let this go once," Geoff said. "Um…apologies, but do you mind if I come in?"

"Yes, actually, we do," Bill said. "Sorry, but this is all too much. I mean, talking Special Infected. What the hell were the odds? And then this space is getting too crowded. Look, as it stands, there's only enough room for five at max. That means you three," Bill said, pointing at Fred, Ryan, and Ellie, "are going to have to leave. Nothing personal, but to be honest, the thought of spending a night in the same room with _three_ Special Infected is too unnerving for me. And I'm fairly sure I speak for the other Survivors as well."

"Hey, no skin off my nose," Ryan said. "I feel the same way about spending a night with four Survivors. Especially the skuzzy-looking one," Ryan said, looking pointedly at Francis.

"Hey, give me a break," Francis said. "I haven't been able to bathe in two weeks."

"So that's what that smell was," Zoey said, taking a step away from Francis. Bill shook his head, sighing.

"Okay, seriously, out," he said, pointing to the door. Jonah watched as they left before making a decision, and following them. "Jonah…what are you doing?"

"Get back in there," Ryan said, pointing at the door. Jonah stood there and shook his head.

"No. I'm staying with you guys," he said. He turned back to Bill and the other Survivors. "Listen…I'm sorry for the burden I've been on you four. And thanks for helping me. But…I've lived with Special Infected for a week and…well, I'm more used to it. It feels more natural to me. With them, I don't feel like I have to fight for my life. Though it wouldn't hurt for one of them to learn how to cook," he said. "Anyways, thanks for the help. And I wish you the best of luck." With that, Jonah closed the door behind him and walked forward, Fred, Ryan, and Ellie watching, while Geoff decided to follow him. Jonah looked to his left when he heard coughing, Fred, Ryan, and Ellie finally having caught up, Ellie in her usual piggyback position on Ryan's back. "Wretch?"

"Ah, so you do remember me," Wretch said, walking forward into the light of the street lamp. He leaned against the post.

"Um…can I ask you a favor?"

"Sure, kid. If it's within my power, I'll see what I can do."

"Could you…keep an eye on that group?" he asked, jerking his thumb toward the safe room. Wretch looked slightly surprised before nodding.

"Alright, fine," Wretch said. "I'll try to."

"Thanks," Jonah said. He looked ahead to see the four Special Infected, Geoff included, were a little ways ahead and he ran to catch up.

* * *

><p><strong>This was going to be a longer chapter, but, unfortunately, I got lazy with it. Sorry 'bout that. Also, all but the four Survivors are mine. Also, the next few chapters are going to start having large time skips for a little bit. Maybe the next two to four. Please Review.<strong>


	4. Chapter 4

"So, where exactly are going to?" Jonah asked, Ellie nodding her head in agreement, him feeling the movement on his shoulder. It had been one week since he had made his final decision to stick with the odd group of Special Infected and now switched off with Ryan every now and then in carrying Ellie, claiming it was no trouble. In truth, Jonah carried whatever needed carrying, swapping his backpack for Ellie two hours ago, while Ryan had taken on some of the heavier items stuffed into a hiking pack. Fred and Geoff were the only ones who didn't carry items often, as they couldn't really fit them onto their backs, though they constantly offered to do so. Fred was currently trying to keep Jonah's backpack over his shoulder.

"Well, there've been rumors lately of places farther north about infected towns with those like us," Ryan replied.

"It would seem that a new term has been coined for Special Infected that are still sentient. That term is, well…Sentients. Apparently, there are even some Common Infected that still retained their sanity," Fred added. "That Wretch fellow sent a friend of his the other day. You three," Fred said, gesturing to Jonah, Ellie, and Geoff, "were sleeping when he came by. He told us to start heading in that general direction and to make sure we were actually prepared for that kind of trip."

"Which would explain your sudden interest in camping equipment," Jonah said, nodding his head in understanding. "But why did you grab a couple guns and a machete?"

"Because I'm going to teach you how to use a gun, that sword, and even that knife," Ryan said, Jonah opening his mouth to protest. "And before you start, I'm only doing this for your own good. Like we've explained before, most Special Infected still retain their sanity. But there are those who have lost it completely. We won't always be able to help you, especially if you get separated from us. You're going to have to learn how to defend yourself."

"We only want to make sure that you'll be okay," Ellie said.

"Look, to be honest, it would probably be better if you learn to accept killing as an everyday fact of life," Geoff put in. "For those Common Infected, it would be a blessing to be killed. A merciful act. To live one's life in that condition…from day to day. Imagine the kind of suffering one would feel. We all are blessed that we do not have to deal with such unbearable pain. Even more so that we can still speak and think. To still have memories of our lives before this crisis." Geoff then pointed at Jonah. "You are even more blessed, to not be in the grip of this affliction."

"Because he's a carrier," Ryan said. "His body has always had that disease, but it doesn't seem to be able to affect him."

"So…this is my fault?" Jonah asked. Ryan looked at him.

"No. It isn't. You can't help what you were born with." Ryan gave the pack on his back a tug. "Come on, we'll walk for a few more minutes, then stop and rest. And I'll start your training," he said to Jonah.

"Alright," Jonah said in defeat. "You want me to get a fire going before we start?"

"No, I'll handle that," Geoff said.

* * *

><p>"I can't believe he did that," Ryan said. He and Jonah stared in disbelief at the very large bonfire Geoff had started using two boulders and a large pile of dead logs.<p>

"How was the training?" Geoff asked, holding a branch with a dead deer staked on it, roasting it over the fire.

"You…how…" Ryan didn't know where to begin. So instead, he just settled for sitting down and tearing open a can of chili they had grabbed from the grocery store.

"Wow, Geoff. You really did handle it," Jonah said.

"I try," Geoff said.

"So, has there been anything on that radio?" Jonah asked Fred. Fred nodded to Ellie, who turned a knob on the battery powered radio and music began to pour out of the small speakers.

"Someone is keeping these stations going," Fred said. "And I'll bet it's one of those Sentient towns."

"Well, at least we can finally rest for longer than a night once we reach that Hard Rain place," Ryan said.

"Wait…what about me?" Jonah asked, the others looking at him. "That guy said it was all infected. What am I supposed to do once we get there?"

"I…huh…didn't actually give it a second thought," Ryan said.

"In all honesty, we just assumed you'd be as welcomed as us," Fred said. "But you bring up a good point. Like non-infected, an infected can hold a grudge against one they don't know without reason."

"Don't worry about it," Geoff said, letting his hand rest on Jonah's head, easily three times the size of Jonah's head. "If they try anything, they've got three of us to go through."

"But…there are five of us here," Jonah said. "Why only three?"

"That's because you stay with Ellie," Ryan said. "We defend you, but you have to defend Ellie at the same time. She isn't a fighter." Ellie looked down at the ground. "And with any luck, she won't have to be one." Jonah looked at Ryan, who had stopped eating, looking back, holding his gaze. Finally, Jonah nodded and Ryan resumed eating.

"Hey, Fred, mind tossing me the salt?" Jonah asked, slicing off some of the deer meat and skinning it.

* * *

><p>"Jonah, you can either wake up now and save us all a lot of trouble or I can let Mr. Nine-Iron do the talking," Ryan said.<p>

"Ryan!" Ellie admonished, though her voice still remained the same volume. Ryan sighed, putting the golf club down.

"Perhaps some water," Fred suggested. He picked up the bucket and ran to the stream, filling it up before coming back and promptly dumping the freezing water on Jonah, who woke up, spluttering.

"I'm up!" Jonah exclaimed. "I'm up!"

"About time," Ryan said. "Come on, I want to try and make the first town by nightfall. It's only a couple of miles from here. A two or three hour walk."

"Okay, okay," Jonah said, rubbing his eyes and yawning. "Let's get going. Who's carrying Ellie first?"

"I'll take her," Ryan said, pulling Ellie onto his back. "You make sure to grab the pack. Geoff, you sure that fire's completely out?"

"Well, if you'd like to stick your hand in the ashes to be sure, go ahead," Geoff replied.

"I'll just take your word for it," Ryan replied smartly. "Now, which way?"

"I believe that way, if this map is correct," Fred said, pointing in a random direction. "Or is it this way?" he said to himself, turning the map over. Jonah walked up, taking the map from Fred and turned the opposite way Fred had pointed.

"This is the right way," Jonah said matter-of-factly. Fred looked at Ryan, who shrugged.

"Hey, the kid's dad was in the military. He must have taught him _some _survival skills," Ryan said, following Jonah, Fred and Geoff taking the rear guard.

"Jonah," Ellie said. Jonah turned to look back at her over his shoulder.

"Yeah?" Jonah asked.

"What was your life like before the infection?"

"Um…well…I guess it was rather boring," Jonah replied, tapping his chin. "My mom died when I was six and my dad was in the military until I was thirteen. My life involved a lot of moving back and forth across the country. Sometimes I'd be home by myself because my dad had to go overseas. I was always good at making friends, so I was never really lonely. But I never got into video games. I was more of an outdoors person. I was always able to get my friends to come on at least one camping trip with me in the different states."

"That sounds nice," Ellie said.

"Well..what about you?"

"Oh…to be honest, I don't remember much. I remember…waking up all alone on a college campus. I remember being so scared of that loneliness…that's why I cry whenever I'm alone. Because I'm scared of it."

"She really was the only being there," Ryan spoke up. "When I first met her, I had just been infected myself. I didn't know what was going on. I heard crying and when I walked into a room, there was Ellie, sitting there, sobbing. Not a single soul around for about two miles. After that, we started traveling together. She would always get scared whenever I had to leave her alone for a bit. But apparently, other Witches would attack when startled. So I was able to leave her, knowing she'd be safe most of the time because of that crying."

"What about you, Fred?" Jonah asked.

"Well, as I explained, I was a biology professor. I remember a woman…but I don't know if she may have been a student, stranger, friend, so on and so forth. I just couldn't remember her relation to me. No name. Not even her voice. Just a random face," Fred replied.

"Geoff?"

"Hmm," Geoff said. "I believe…I may have been a poet of some kind. Or perhaps a teacher. As you have all seen, I am rather different from my fellow Tanks. The only thing I can recall consistently is that I had a daughter. But her name…for some reason, her name always eludes me."

"Well…that just leaves you, Ryan…"

"No thanks," Ryan said. "My past isn't something I like to think about."

"Why? Because you can't remember?"

"No. Because I remember," Ryan said. "I remember a good bit of my past. And I don't like it one bit."

"Oh," Jonah said. "Okay. Then…um, anyone know a good word game?"

* * *

><p><strong>So, now they're headed to a town filled with nothing but infected. Sentients are now on the scene and this idea originally came from Apocalypse Survivor's story, The Hybrid. Please Review. Also, I've decided that I'll only do chapter names when I can actually think of them.<strong>


	5. Chapter 5

"Hey, Ryan," Jonah said. "What do we do if this town doesn't welcome Survivors?"

"Or me?" Ellie put out there, surprising Jonah, who almost lost his grip on her after taking a little slide in a mud puddle.

"Why wouldn't they? You're still an infected, right?"

"But she's a Witch," Ryan said. "No offense meant in the least Ellie."

"I know," Ellie replied.

"I don't really get it," Jonah said.

"Witches aren't exactly known for their social skills," Fred explained. "Ellie is the only Witch I know who doesn't attack often when startled. In fact, I've only ever seen her become enraged once. But _only_ once."

"Ellie is truly one in a million," Geoff said, putting in his two cents. "Well, assuming there are more than a million Witches. But she is indeed the first one I have met who is so…timid, I suppose is the word."

"Well, if worse comes to worst, then we can scout out the town after this one before bringing you two in," Ryan said.

"What is the next town?" Jonah asked, curious.

"Don't know. One reason we're stopping in this town is to get a map," Ryan replied. "In fact, I think that's the town right up there," he said, pointing ahead. They saw a ring of buildings ahead. At first glance, it looked like it was just five or six buildings at max, but as they got closer, they realized those were just the outer skirts of the town. Once they got there, they saw Special and Common Infected intermingled everywhere, talking, laughing, drinking, everything one didn't expect to see an infected do. It looked like a normal town, though the inhabitants were a little strange to look at. But once they began walking through the streets, they began to receive glances from people, most of them directed at Jonah and Ellie.

"Ryan…" Ellie began.

"Just stay calm, Ellie," Ryan said, now beside Jonah. Fred and Geoff still were in rear guard position, Geoff receiving his own fair share of glances. "Jonah, you just try not to look intimidating."

"Right now, I'm trying to not look scared," Jonah replied under his breath. "I don't think I like the way that Smoker is looking at me." Ryan glanced at said Smoker, giving a low growl, the Smoker promptly turning the other way around.

"Better?"

"Yeah. I don't suppose that'd work on the rest of this town?"

"I'd rather not try my luck," Ryan replied. "Let's just find out where we can get a map of the towns, maybe find a place to stay for the night. We can restock our supplies while we're here as well."

"I hope we don't need money," Fred said. Ryan smacked his forehead.

"Shit. Didn't think about that. I mean, it's the apocalypse, after all. Money kind of lost its shine for me."

"Hey, where did Jonah and Ellie go?" Geoff asked. Ryan turned around to see that they had indeed disappeared.

"We've been in town for less than two minutes and already we've lost them?" Ryan asked incredulously.

"I got the map," Jonah said from behind Ryan, startling the Hunter.

"What? How did you get behind me?" Jonah shrugged as best he could with Ellie on his back before holding up a folded up piece of paper.

"Like I said, I got the map," Jonah said again.

"How?"

"I think they run on a barter system," Jonah replied. "The guy at the storefront," Jonah pointed at what used to be a small grocery store, a Boomer calling out to people passing by, holding up a sign, "gave me the map for two of the magazines for that Uzi. He said if we needed to find more ammunition, then we should try heading up…um, I think…that street there," he said, pointing at a sign to the right of the Boomer. "He said that there's a couple of infected running a guns shop."

"How do you do that?" Ryan asked.

"Do what?"

"This…_thing _you do," Ryan said. "Your ability to make friends with infected so easily. One second, you're getting suspicious glances, the next you're talking business with a Boomer." Again, Jonah shrugged.

"I don't know. But I'm still getting suspicious glances. The guy at the storefront was tolerable of me, at best. For a second, I thought he would turn me away."

"Well, since Jonah has already taken care of one of our immediate concerns," Geoff spoke up, "why don't we get to work on seeing if their something like a hotel."

"You mean like that Holiday Inn?" Ellie asked, pointing over Jonah's shoulder at said building.

"I think that'll do," Fred replied.

* * *

><p>"You know, you three could have stayed there," Jonah said as the group of five trudged through the wooded area. The renovated Holiday Inn had refused to allow him into any of the rooms, and Geoff wouldn't have been able to fit into any of the rooms, meaning only Ryan, Ellie, and Fred were the only ones able to stay there. They had promptly refused the second the employees turned Jonah away.<p>

"Too uptight," was all Ryan had to say about the hotel, Ellie asleep on his back. "Besides, if we had stopped there, then it would have just been a day more to get to that Cherrygrove place."

"That's our next stop for sure?" Jonah asked.

"Yeah," Fred answered this time. "Oh, by the way, while you four were trying to find food, I managed to get some info about what's been happening lately. There've been rumors of some sort of hybrid running around that recently escaped from a CEDA place. Supposed to be half Hunter and half Witch. Word is that he was being experimented on, because he was the first Special Infected they ever caught that still retained sanity and intelligence. And then there was something I heard about there now being female versions of other Special Infected, like Hunters and Smokers."

"Female versions?" Ryan repeated. "That's a new one. Never saw anything like that back in our hometown."

"Nor have I seen any such thing," Geoff said, nodding his head.

"I wonder if we'll see that guy," Jonah said absentmindedly. "Or maybe even meet some of these female versions of the Hunter and Smoker." He shook his head, clearing his thoughts. "So, how long until we reach Cherrygrove?"

"I think we might be able to make it in two days," Ryan replied. "So, do you guys wanna try hiking through the night or stop and rest?"

"I say we may as well go through the night."

"If Jonah's up to it, then I suppose I can make the effort," Geoff said.

"Majority wins," Fred put in, shrugging his shoulder.

"Alright then, we keep going," Ryan said. He then perked up. "Oh, I forgot. Fred, have you shown Jonah what we found for him?"

"Oh, no I haven't," Fred replied.

"What?" Jonah asked. Fred walked over to Geoff, who was carrying Jonah's backpack. He unzipped the largest pocket and produced a full body rain poncho with a deep hood. "A poncho?"

"We figured you can use it in the next town," Ryan explained. "But we, meaning me, Fred, and Geoff, are going to scope it out first, see if we can bring Ellie and you in. You're going to wait on the outskirts for us."

"Okay," Jonah said. "Certainly sounds reasonable."

* * *

><p>The next day, Jonah was scrubbing the pot in a nearby stream, only after making sure the water was pure. While it had been difficult back at the city to find clean water, the wilderness was proving to be more than a match for the Green Flu virus. Although there were animals that were affected by it, the meat proved to still be safe enough for Jonah to eat once cooked, while the water in the streams had managed to cleanse themselves. "Almost done, Jonah?" Geoff asked, walking up behind the human teen. Jonah turned around, nodding.<p>

"Yeah. We can let this dry as we walk," Jonah said, standing up and dumping the water a little farther downstream. "So, any sign of Cherrygrove yet?"

"No," Geoff replied. "Ryan thinks it may be another three or four hours before we start seeing any sort of structure. Although, if that map is correct, we're going to have travel close to some Survivor camps. I'm not exactly looking forward to that."

"Well, then, we'll just avoid them completely," Jonah said. "There's no reason for anyone to get shot at."

"You understand our trip time will be a little extended, correct?"

"I know. But it should only be by about an hour, two hours at the most," Jonah replied as the two walked back to the rest of the group, where Fred was kicking dirt onto the last of the embers from their fire.

Later that day, they arrived near Cherrygrove, Fred plucking out the last bullet from Geoff's back. "Wow. They really got you good," Fred commented.

"I still can't believe they spotted me," Geoff grumbled. "From more than three football field lengths away."

"Yeah, that's a little weird," Jonah agreed, leaning back against a tree.

"Well, at least it's over," Ryan said, setting the hiking pack down and dropping to the ground on the left side of Jonah, using the same tree as a prop. "We'll check out the town in the morning. For now, let's all try and get some sleep. Who wants first watch?"

"I'll take it," Fred said. "Jonah, you better go ahead and put on that poncho."

"Right," Jonah replied, standing up and pulling out the poncho, shortly after pulling it over his head, letting it fall down over his body. It did a wonderful job of hiding his body, while the hood did an even better job of hiding the fact that he was human by completely shadowing his face. "Hey, is anyone else feeling a little cold?" he asked, noticing Ellie was shivering, though she was saying nothing about it. Ryan turned his head to see her shivering as well, nodding.

"Yeah. Let's get a small fire going," he replied. He looked up at the tree canopy, water starting to splash his face. "And hope this rain doesn't put it out." Jonah nodded, while Ryan pulled a large blanket out of the hiking pack, offering it to Ellie, who accepted it, wrapping it around herself. "Tomorrow, let's see if we can find you some better clothes." Ellie nodded.

"Okay," she replied, laying down, curling into a ball under the blanket as Jonah brought back firewood, while Ryan produced some lighter fluid and a box of matches.

"Hey, Ryan?" Jonah asked as they got the fire going, Jonah adding small branches to build it up. "Why do you always wear that hood?"

"It's…a comfort thing, I suppose," Ryan replied.

"Oh," Jonah said. "Um…Ryan…"

"What?" Ryan asked.

"…Never mind," Jonah said, shaking his head, water dripping off the hood as it followed the movement. He walked over to the tree, taking the katana off his back and setting it so that it rested lightly against his shoulder, his head now facing down. He closed his eyes, drifting into unconsciousness.

"Ryan, what happened to my notebook?" Geoff asked as he held up a notebook missing pages.

"Um…" Ryan quickly jumped into a tree, pulling himself out of what he hoped would be the maximum height the Tank would be able to reach him.

"It's in the fire, isn't it?" Ryan nodded, hiding behind the branch. Geoff shrugged. "Hey, I can wait until morning."

* * *

><p><strong>They've finally gotten to their destination. Sort of…kind of…okay, they're still a long ways away. Please Review.<strong>


	6. Chapter 6

"GAH!"

Jonah shot up, looking around, his hood falling off his head. He looked over to see Ryan whistling as he walked away from Fred, twirling his golf club in his hand. He looked at Fred, who was rubbing his head. "Mr. Nine-Iron?" Jonah asked, Fred nodding.

"Mr. Nine-Iron," he confirmed.

"Why so early?"

"I fell asleep on watch," Fred replied.

"GWAH!" Ryan slammed into the tree behind Jonah, falling down. "Ow," was all Ryan bit out when he stood up shakily.

"Next time, ask before taking someone else's personal property," Geoff said, walking up to the group.

"Why, oh why, did I think it was a good idea to come back down after you fell asleep?" Ryan moaned, holding his back. "I think you might have broken something," Ryan said.

"Oh, man up," Geoff replied. "Be thankful it was only a tree this time. A rock wouldn't have given anywhere _near_ that much of a cushion," he said, pointing at the new Hunter-shaped dent in the tree trunk.

"Hey, guys, can we keep it down a little?" Fred asked. "Ellie's still sleeping. We may as well get in town now and scope it out," he said to Ryan, who nodded, arching his back and sighing with relief as it popped.

"Oh, so much better," he said. "Anyways, yes, we should go in. Jonah, think you can whip up some quick breakfast?"

"Sure. Give me about fifteen minutes and I'll get some pancakes going," Jonah replied. And fifteen minutes later, plus an extra two minutes to get the fire going again, Jonah had cooked two stacks of a dozen pancakes apiece, the first stack to be split between Ryan and Fred, while Geoff received the entire second stack. "I'll get started on mine and Ellie's breakfast in a bit," Jonah said, watching with a little bit of what could be described as smugness at how the others were obviously enjoying the food.

"You know, if this infection hadn't happened," Ryan said between bites, "you probably would have made a great military man or a chef. Hell, I'll bet you could have even become a top notch ambassador, what with that interesting gift you have."

"Aw, now you're making me blush," Jonah said with a chuckle.

"Well, that was quite filling," Geoff said, belching. "Oh dear, excuse me," he said.

Ryan stood up, stretching his legs. "Alright, now that breakfast is over," he said, "Geoff, Fred, let's get into town. We need to find out the status Survivors hold there, a hotel we can stay at that allows non-infected regardless of what others think of Survivors, and get some more pancake mix."

"Why do I get the feeling that I've just discovered your favorite breakfast food?" Jonah asked.

"Actually, I just like the idea of being able to eat cooked food again," Ryan replied, shrugging. "The pancakes weren't a bad start."

"Hey, don't forget to see what they think about Witches," Jonah said. "And grab another poncho for Ellie as well, just in case."

"Right, good thinking," Fred replied. "Hey, be careful while we're gone. There are still Common around that aren't labeled as Sentients. You know what you're going to have to do." Jonah nodded, though his eyes were sad.

"I know," he replied, his voice a whisper. Once the trio was gone, he set to work on making pancakes for himself and Ellie, but stopped when he realized that they could go cold by the time she woke up and decided to wait until she actually was awake. He was surprised to see that she was still sleeping and wondered when she had moved from her place between Geoff and Fred to the spot between him and Ryan last night, noting the depression in the grass where she had first fallen asleep. He shrugged, guessing that she may have just walked in her sleep to the person she had known the longest since the infection, i.e. Ryan.

* * *

><p>"Okay, fellas, let's see…what the hell is that?" Ryan asked, pointing at a passing Spiker grumbling about an insane Hunter from yesterday or something to that effect.<p>

"I believe…it's what is referred to as a Spiker," Fred replied. "A new type of Special Infected that's been popping up recently in these areas."

"Wow. We really should get out of our hometown more often," Ryan said, Fred nodding his agreement. He shook his head, mentally chiding himself. "Anyways, let's get back to our current objective here. We need to find out what this town is like and see if we can bring in Jonah and Ellie. And try to find a poncho for Ellie while we're at it." He waited for a reply, but heard none. "Guys?" He turned around and saw that Geoff and Fred were gone. "…" He looked at the light post to his right and banged his head against it, passersby glancing at him. "Damn them and their curiosity," he said, one word for each hit.

* * *

><p>Fred looked around the section of town he was in, spotting a hotel of sorts and walked in to see a Tank reading a newspaper. He walked up to him, the Tank putting the newspaper down. "Can I help you with something?" the Tank asked.<p>

"Uh, yes, Mr…um…" Fred stopped.

"Clark," the Tank supplied. "Just Clark."

"Okay, Clark," Fred said. "I'm taking a…survey," Fred said, mentally kicking himself. "A bet with a friend, trying to find out what others think about Survivors and Witches. You know, like, would a hotel let them stay a night or two, how would the other townspeople react, that kind of thing."

"A survey, huh?" Clark repeated. "Well, personally, I don't have anything against 'em if they don't shoot. The others around here, I'm not so sure of. In fact, if you want to get a better opinion, I've got a small group of Survivors and a couple of infected traveling together right now just upstairs." Fred's eyebrow raised in surprise.

_Nice to know that there are other Survivors who can go more than five minutes without shooting something,_ Fred thought to himself. "Ah. Well, thanks for your time," Fred said. "I'll be sure to add your opinion to the tally."

"No problem," Clark replied, picking the newspaper back up.

* * *

><p>Jonah looked around as he heard a growl before realizing it was his own stomach. He looked at the still sleeping Ellie and then at the pan that still smelled of pancakes. He sighed, giving into his hunger. "I hope Ellie doesn't mind being the only one eating," he said as he put on some more pancakes. He heard another growl, but this one wasn't his stomach. He turned around slowly to see a teenager infected standing behind him, wearing all black, an unzipped hoodie over his black T-shirt, and just a little past the top of his black jeans. Jonah wasn't sure if he was a Hunter or a Witch, because his eyes were a softly glowing red, his claws nearly the same as Ellie's. Another growl issued from the infected's position and Jonah realized that his unannounced guest was also hungry. Jonah offered him a plate. "Pancakes?"<p>

The figure walked forward, accepting the plate with pancakes and sat down. "Thanks," he said.

"I'm Jonah."

"You can call me Render," was the reply. They then sat in silence, the fire crackling, Jonah putting on some more pancakes. After a bit, Render spoke up. "You don't seem to surprised to meet a talking infected."

"Don't you mean Sentient?" Jonah asked. "No, not really. Considering I was saved by one."

"An infected saved you?" Render asked, his tone suggesting some surprise.

"Yeah. I've lived with Special Infected for almost three weeks now."

"Are you that human peacemaker I've heard about?"

"Peacemaker?" Jonah repeated, looking at Render, who was eyeing the pan over the fire. Jonah placed two more pancakes on Render's plate. "What do you mean by that?"

"Well, from what I heard," Render said as he began eating one of the fresh pancakes, "is that you have an ability to make nice with others."

"You sound like Ryan," Jonah said, chuckling. "He says the same thing."

"Because it's extremely rare," Render replied. "Most Survivors shoot on sight."

"But that's because they don't know," Jonah replied. "It seems to me that this Green Flu thing has turned the world into a kill or be killed world now. And it's affected everyone."

"And why didn't you?"

"Why didn't I what?"

"Shoot on sight? When that Sentient saved you?"

"One, I couldn't fight back. And two, they're still human," Jonah replied. "Even if most of them have gone insane or turned into zombies or whatever you want to say about them, they're still just very sick people." Jonah took the pan off the fire after making himself three pancakes, placing the pan on a nearby flat rock. "What's your story?"

"Depends on what you know," Render replied. Jonah shrugged.

"If I were to take a guess, then I'd say you were that hybrid Fred heard about," Jonah answered. "Who escaped from the CEDA. Other than that, I have no idea."

"Then let's leave it at that." Again, Jonah shrugged.

"Alright, suit yourself."

* * *

><p>"That's it, those two are so talking to Mr. Nine-Iron," Ryan grumbled as he walked to the town's entrance, fuming at the lack of cooperation from the townspeople.<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, so, maybe a short chapter. Still working out the kinks in this story. I have things planned, I have things that need work, and I have school to deal with. Render and Clark are both owned by Apocalypse Survivor, who I will be working with for the foreseeable future and whose other characters will soon make an appearance. Please Review.<strong>


	7. Chapter 7

Jonah sat, listening as Render sang along with a song on an iPod he had pulled out. Render's voice sounded…almost fully human to Jonah, whereas before, his voice had a gruff and husky quality to it. He noticed that most of the songs were the kind you would listen to if your life were to be somewhat…hectic. As the song ended, they both heard shuffling and someone yawning. They both turned to see Ellie, who was rubbing her eyes as she woke up, freezing when seeing Render. "Who's that?" she asked Jonah, shaking a little.

"This is Render," Jonah replied. "He…um…likes my pancakes." He looked at the plate in his hand, offering it to her. "Want some?" She accepted the plate, eating her pancakes and watching Render. She stopped when she saw his claws.

"You're…a male witch?" she asked, her tone one of surprise and disbelief.

"Only half," Render replied. He pulled his hood down, grinning, showing off his sharpened teeth. "Can you guess the other half?" Jonah shook his head, putting the pan to the side as he poked at the fire's embers with a stick. Render glanced over at Jonah. "So…what do we do now? I'm bored already, considering I've been fighting for a week straight with no rest."

Jonah thought about that statement for a bit before replying. "How about you tell us your story? The full thing," he added, a little firmer than he had intended. He looked over to see that Ellie's eyes were showing some interest in the statement, though her facial expression still showed she was a little wary of Render still.

Render sighed. "My friends and I, at the beginning, fortified our houses and held out for weeks. Eventually a CEDA evac was created in town, and in the ensuing battle, I was – by my own will – left behind. I was infected by some damn Hunter, and CEDA found me by what was left of the Tank that attacked me. They ran tests on me for weeks, agility, strength...endurance..." Render shuddered and a look of terror was painted on his features. "I-I'm sorry, I just...don't want to talk about it, the...the surgeries and...the scalpels...Anyway, I escaped afterward, and went back to my town. I met a soldier, two female infected, and an infected dog there (the dog long before the other three). We traveled north based off of what the girls said. Along the way, we saved my old buddies from town who had a helicopter crash. All nine of us finally reached Cherrygrove after encountering some guards and taking down a Haggard. In town, an outraged Spiker decided to attack us and I kicked his ass. Right now, we're staying in a hotel run by a Tank named Clark. And that's just the short version." Jonah and Ellie were, to say the very least, speechless. Both were having some trouble taking it in, though both could relate somewhat. A short silence followed afterwards, soon broken by Ellie.

"So…what about the t-town?" Ellie asked. "C-can we…stay there?" Render looked at her, his expression conveying some confusion at the statement.

"Uhhh…yeah, probably," he replied. Jonah laughed.

"Ryan's going to be really angry when he finds out he went into town for nothing," he said, Render nodding his head, sighing with exaggerated sadness.

"I know how that feels," he said. He then cracked a smile at Jonah. "So, how much are we betting that Ryan is pissed when he gets back?"

"You're on!" Jonah smiled.

* * *

><p>"Fucking town," Ryan muttered as he swiped at a plant. He stopped upon reaching the campsite. He stared at Render, who was in a game of rock-paper-scissors with Jonah. He glanced at the score sheet to see that Render was winning 21-17. He then looked around for Mr. Nine-Iron before realizing Jonah had hidden away the golf club and decided that he'd deal with that little detail later in private with Jonah, Fred, and Geoff. Render turned to grin up at him as Jonah said something about Render winning.<p>

"It is apparently very hard to play rock-paper-scissors when I have kitchen knives for fingers," he commented. Ryan glanced over at Jonah, his eyes asking the question Jonah already knew was on his mind.

"He liked my pancakes, too," Jonah said. If not for the fact that he may very well gouge out his own eyes, Ryan would have facepalmed at that comment. Instead, he turned his attention to Render's appearance and sniffed the air. His eyes widened in understanding.

"You're that hybrid Fred told us about, aren't you?" he asked. Render rolled his eyes, suggesting to Ryan that Render heard that question often.

"We already went over this," Render said. "And no," he continued, "I will not repeat my story again. Ask Jonah later."

"Where are F-Fred and Geoff?" Ellie asked from behind Jonah, Ryan looking at the Witch and shrugging.

"They ran off," he said with a huff, "and I couldn't find them, so I came back. Don't worry, they're smart, they'll find their way back."

"Did you happen to meet a pissed off Spiker in Cherrygrove?" Render asked suddenly.

Ryan thought a bit before answering. "Yeah, we saw some Spiker grumbling about a psycho Hunter or something." Render nodded, looking at Jonah.

"Yup, that sounds like him. He's angry 'cause I kicked his ass yesterday. 'I don't think you should stay here'," Render said, his voice mimicking what Jonah assumed to be the Spiker. "I beat the crap out of him for that." Ryan glanced at Render, shaking his head.

_This is going to be a long trip,_ Ryan thought.

* * *

><p>Geoff looked around the section of town he was in, scratching his head. "Hm. I seem to have become separated from my companions," he said to himself. He looked across the street to the hotel that Fred had been in no more than ten minutes ago and he headed right in. Clark was no longer at the counter, but there was one of the Survivors that he had mentioned to Fred looking around the lobby. He had blonde hair and blue eyes and was currently looking through some old magazines, tossing them back on the table. Geoff walked up behind him just as he turned, accidentally knocking the young teenager down. "Apologies," Geoff replied, picking the boy up by the back of his collar.<p>

"S-sorry," the boy stuttered, shaking a little, though this didn't surprise Geoff. He was used to this reaction with even fellow infected. It was then that Geoff realized he was talking to a Survivor in a town full of infected. Geoff shook his head.

"Perhaps you could give me some help," Geoff said, the boy nodding, laughing nervously. Geoff began to regret his decision already. "Okay. What can you tell me about your…situation here?"

"Um," the boy said. "…We're stuck in a h-hotel," he offered, again laughing nervously.

_I do not like where this is going,_ Geoff thought to himself. "Perhaps a little more elaboration?" he prompted.

"Elaboration?"

"…Yes. Elaboration."

"Oh! Um…" The boy grew silent and Geoff shook his head.

"On second thought, never mind," he said. "Have a nice day," he said as he left the hotel just as Clark came back in.

"Eric, who was that?" Clark asked as he saw Geoff leaving, aiming the question at the Survivor.

* * *

><p>"That's some story," Ryan said as Jonah finished explaining Render's background, Render currently listening to songs again, oblivious to the conversation. Well, as far as Ryan could tell, he was oblivious to the conversation. "Makes me wonder what they learned about his unique appearance." Jonah just shrugged.<p>

"I wonder what's taking Geoff and Fred so long to get back," Ellie said. Ryan and Jonah shrugged together.

"They should be alright," Ryan said. "They can be pretty intimidating if someone tries to mess with them." They then heard someone calling out a name.

"Connor!" the voice called. The group of four, Render included in that group, looked to see a boy with brown hair and blue eyes carrying a Mini-14. He saw them, waving to Render.

"Thom," Render replied, waving back. As Thom walked up, Render nodded to him. Thom looked at Ryan suspiciously, but didn't bring the weapon up. "What are you doing out here?"

"Looking for you," Thom replied. "You didn't come back last night and we all started to worry a little bit."

"Who's that?" Ellie asked, having not heard Render the first time he had called the boy's name. Thom turned to look at Ellie and had what Jonah heard his friends once refer to as a freak out. Unlike most freak outs that Jonah had seen, this one involved a scream from Thom, which pretty much put Ellie into a frozen terror, followed by the gun swinging up towards Ellie. But before the gun was even halfway, Ryan was already tackling the boy, knocking him to the ground, followed by his forehead smacking Thom's, knocking Thom into unconsciousness. Ryan stood up, shaking his head.

"Okay, ow," he said. "Your buddy's got a hard head." Jonah walked over, propping Thom up against a stump, while Ryan picked up the gun, placing it by Render. He then walked over to Ellie, putting the blanket over her and rubbing her back as she began to move again.

Jonah walked over and sat by Render. "Well, that could have gone better," Render said, Jonah nodding his agreement.

* * *

><p><strong>Okay, I won't lie, I'm grasping at straws right now. But it's something, at least. So, if this story isn't updated for two weeks, then do not be surprised. When I get a block of any kind, I take a break until it leaves instead of forcing myself to write. I get less stressed out and ideas tend to flow after a week anyways. Please Review.<strong>


	8. Chapter 8

Render awoke with a terrified scream. It temporarily deafened everyone nearby, who hadn't even noticed him asleep, and sent the wildlife running with the fear of death and dismemberment. Ryan and Jonah looked up to see Render huddled, arms wrapped tightly around his legs muttering, "No more, no more, no more..."

Shocked, Jonah tried to grab Render's attention. "R-render? Are you alright?"

The infected in question glanced at him with tearful eyes and said, "Please...no more pain." Jonah was scared witless by the suffering he saw in Render's eyes, and he could almost feel the torture the boy went through while in the custody of CEDA.

Ryan shook his head and said, "You gonna be ok, kid?" Render nodded shakily. Ryan sighed in relief, knowing his eardrums would not be blown out again today.

Ellie asked quietly, "Do you need any help?" Render shook his head, not wishing to heap his troubles upon others. Thom sat up, groaning.

"Ugh...what hit me?" He saw the questioning eyes of the others and asked, "What?" Then he spotted Ellie again. "AAA-" Thom was abruptly cut off as Render covered his mouth with his claws.

"Knock it off Thom, she's not going to hurt you," Render said with a growl, seeming to recover from his shock.

Nodding mutely, Thom spit the taste of old blood from Render's claws out of his mouth. He sheepishly said, "Er, sorry Miss Witch." Ellie gave a tiny bob of her head to acknowledge his apology. "So, who are these guys?" A quick introduction was given between the groups. After everything was done and settled, the five just relaxed, glad to be away from the constant pressure of battle and everyday survival. Well, that was until a loud yell was heard from within the forest. The five looked at each other, got up and ran to the source, Ellie on Ryan's back.

Render was the first to find the source of the commotion, and groaned exasperatedly. "Oh my god..." The other four ran into his back and spread out around him

"What...what is it?" Jonah panted, out of breath.

Render simply sighed and said, "Andrew..." They glanced up, and could not believe what they saw. A boy with dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and who was slightly shorter than Render, was running in between the trees, laughing insanely as he was chased by three very angry feral Hunters. Jonah noticed they were all lacking pants, and guessed that Andrew was the thief. His suspicions were confirmed when he saw three pairs of jeans clutched in Andrew's hands. Ryan stared on in disbelief. "Are you KIDDING ME!" Render covered his face in shame and replied with a simple "Nope." Unhappily, Render reached out and grabbed Andrew by the shirt as he ran by. Lifting up the grinning boy, he growled angrily, "What the Hell are you doing?"

Andrew told him happily, "Messing with the zombies."

"Why?" Render growled irritatedly again and speared the Hunter that leaped towards the pair, throwing it to the side. "WHY?" He roared shaking Andrew by the scruff of the neck. Seeing their comrade fall, the other two Hunters fled in the opposite direction. Andrew started choking and Render dropped him in a heap. "Are you INSANE!"

Andrew, now acting serious said, "Sorry. I was really bored waiting for you and Thom to get back. You guys take forever!" Andrew was distracted by the sight of new arrivals. "Who are they?" Growling under his breath, Render once again introduced his friend to the new guys in town.

"Can we PLEASE get back to town? I'm getting tired of all the random bullshit I have to put up with." Render voiced his impatience.

Rolling his eyes, Andrew said in a monotone, "Sure, whatever." The teen turned around and began leading everyone towards Cherrygrove. After several minutes of walking, a rotten stench wafted past them.

Attempting to hold back rising bile, Render choked out, "What the Hell stinks so damn badly?" Looking past a shrub, he saw the decomposing corpse of the Haggard they had defeated yesterday. "Argh, Jesus, we only killed that thing a day ago! How can it be rotting so fast?"

Jonah's group took in the sight before them. Mouth open in shock, Jonah gasped, "What's that?"

Render replied with a grimace, "A Haggard. As big as a Tank and throws steel spikes at you."

Ryan's brow furrowed at the thought of another kind of special infected to battle. Pinching his nose, he said, "Can we keep moving? I think my nose just died."

* * *

><p>Ryan and Jonah sighed with relief and hope as the walls of the settlement came into view. Render walked up to the guards, said "I'm back," and walked right on by. The two guards tried not to shake as they let the others go by without a single complaint or comment. Jonah, Ryan, and Ellie stared in awe at the harmony and peace around them. It was a precious commodity in the world of the apocalypse.<p>

Ignoring the sights around them, Render, Andrew and Thom lead the way to a hotel. Not wishing to be left behind, the others rushed to catch up. Render was currently thumbing through the selection of music in his iPod. He quietly sang along as they walked past the buildings and stands showing off their wares. Thom spared Render a glance, but went back to navigating with Andrew. Several minutes later, the hotel came into view between the other businesses and such that you would find in a modern town.

The group strode into the main lobby. "S'up Clark." Render offered a short greeting to the busy Tank working the front desk. The young infected teen turned towards the Jonah's group. "Ok, you guys sign in, we'll go get the rest of our group. Hopefully the lazy bastards are getting ready now." The three teenage boys thumped up the stairs as Jonah and his friends went about registering into the hotel.

"Right then, three people?" Clark asked.

"Five, actually," Ryan said. "Still got Fred and Geoff to worry about."

"Alright then, five it is," Clark said. "Now, we need to discuss a payment of sorts."

"Well, what about," Jonah began when a yell interrupted him.

"Your damn Sentients overran Haven City! Those freaks killed everyone!" Jonah's group ran upstairs to see what the commotion was, coming in as Render said something in reply.

There were other infected now standing beside Jonah's group, as well as Andrew, Eric, Thom, and a fourth boy who had blonde hair, blue eyes, and glasses, and the infected were bristling at the comment, but froze when they heard Render begin growling Hunter esque. Everyone silently moved out of the way as Render stormed out of the room and stalked down the hallway. They looked inside and found a white faced soldier with brown eyes and brown hair, probably a man in his late thirties, staring at them in fear. The humans, except Jonah, dispersed, while a female Hunter with black hair and blue eyes snarled at the man, Ryan following suit, before both walked away. Ellie had small tears in her eyes, and a female Smoker with red hair and green eyes looked as if she was about to join her. The two followed the rest, leaving the soldier behind to regret his actions alone. Jonah simply stared at the man before walking into the room. "Hi," Jonah said, the soldier looking up. "I'm Jonah."

"…Jackson," the man said. He nodded at Jonah's jacket. "How'd a kid like you get a colonel's stripes?"

"My dad," Jonah said, walking over to sit beside Jackson against the wall. He rubbed the collar between his index finger and thumb. "All I have left of him." After that, there was a silence in the room. "So," Jonah said, breaking the silence. "Looks like you just screwed up."

"Big time," Jackson said in agreement. "And considering what those three…sorry, four, if you include Ripper, have done for me, you'd think I'd have the common sense to keep those kinds of things to myself."

"One would think," Jonah said, nodding. "Though calling them freaks probably didn't help much."

"You, uh…heard that, then."

"Most of it." Another silence, which was again broken by Jonah. "You know…I've had a lot of time to think about what's going on now, with how things have turned out since this outbreak…and I wonder if perhaps this thought has occurred to you."

"What would that thought be?" Jackson asked, curious.

"That you and me…we're the freaks in this world," Jonah said, Jackson's eyes registering shock at this statement. But Jonah didn't see it, instead staring at the open door. "We're only part of a small number who hasn't shown signs of being infected so far. Shouldn't we be trying to live in their world rather than them living in ours? Do we really have a say in who can start a fight and who can't?" Jackson looked at Jonah, his expression somewhat dumbfounded. "I can't say that I understand the position you're in or even that I understand where you're coming from. Because I've never had trouble with Sentients. I was saved by Sentients, I've lived with Sentients for almost a month now…I really have no right to complain about the way things are now. I can only accept it." Jonah stood up, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways, maybe you should talk with Render after you've both cooled down." Jonah walked out of the room, leaving Jackson to his thoughts.

* * *

><p>Fred looked around as he tried to figure out where Geoff and Ryan had gotten to. "Ah, shit," he said. "Ryan is gonna be so pissed off." Shrugging, Fred decided to head to the hotel he had been at earlier on a whim. He walked in, stopping as he looked at an angry Ryan and female Hunter, followed by Ellie and a female Smoker, both seeming extremely close to tears. "Um…did…I miss something?" Ryan looked over at Fred, before looking away.<p>

"We'll talk later," Ryan spat. "Right now, I'm going to go out and blow some steam."

"Hoo, boy," Fred said as he walked over to a couch nearby. "I feel sorry for anyone messing with him today."

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry this took so long. I would have had it done two days ago, but…well, three days ago, I picked up my copy of Infamous 2 and…well, let's just say that I haven't gotten much sleep these past couple of days.<strong>


	9. Chapter 9

Jonah walked down the stairs, passing by Ellie and the two female infected from earlier, stopping to introduce himself. "Hi. I'm Jonah," he said, holding out his hand. The Smoker looked at it before taking it hesitantly.

"I'm Screen," she said. She nodded to the Huntress beside her. "This is my sister. Jenna."

"Hi," Jenna said, ignoring his hand. He put it down, shrugging to himself.

"Hey, Ellie, I'm going out for a bit," he said. "Let Ryan know?"

"He's already gone," Ellie said. "Fred and Geoff are here, by the way."

"Oh? Where at?"

"Sitting in the lobby."

"Well, at least they made it," Jonah said. He nodded to three females and walked off. "I'll see you later, then." As he walked into the lobby, he saw Fred and Geoff sitting on the couch, conversing. "Hey, guys," he greeted.

"Jonah," Geoff said, nodding in acknowledgement. "Going somewhere?"

"Yeah. Going out for a bit," Jonah said.

"You sure you want to do that?" Fred asked. "I mean, none of the others have gone out. Well, as far as I know."

"I'll be fine," Jonah said, pulling the hood over his head. "This thing covers all of me pretty well. Long as I manage to keep my face hidden, I should be okay." He walked out of the hotel and down the street, passing people going about their business. He made his way to what he recognized as a park, people walking around, some holding hands, even families that had managed to stay together or find each other after the initial outbreak. He smiled as he watched all this, when he felt something hit his foot.

"Hey, mister!" a little Hunter yelled, waving at Jonah. "Throw us our ball?" Jonah looked down at the baseball by his foot, bent down, and picked it up. He smiled as he tossed it up and down a couple of times.

"Here ya go!" he called back, tossing it underhanded to the little Hunter, who caught it, waving.

"Thank you!" Jonah nodded, pulling his hood forward as he felt it start to fall back with the movement of his head. He continued his walking, deciding to take the path around the park.

* * *

><p>"Insensitive little fucker," Ryan mumbled under his breath. "Has the nerve to say that while surrounded by Sentients. If it weren't for Ellie and Jonah, I would probably shred him." He took a couple of breaths, trying to calm himself down. He was perched on top of a light pole, having jumped from a building rooftop onto it. He had learned early on in the infection that Hunters had bodies perfect for free running, an activity he had enjoyed greatly in his late teens and early twenties. It had even proven useful on his job, though he tried to repress those memories once more. "Man, I need some way to relax."<p>

"Hey, back off," he heard. He looked down to see Jonah against a wall, the Spiker from yesterday leading a small posse of infected. "I haven't done anything."

"So? Bein' human is enough for me," the Spiker said. "After that brat came into town with that human scum, my rep's been in the hole."

"Wait…you're that Spiker Render was talking about, aren't you?" Jonah asked, Ryan shaking his head and sighing. He jumped down, putting his hand on the Spiker's shoulder, startling those there.

"Is there a problem here?" Ryan asked. The Spiker jumped back, then hiking his thumb at Jonah.

"Yeah. We got some humans in town. And we gotta clear them out," the Spiker said, grinning. "Wanna join?"

"You know, I'm in a really bad mood right now. And hearing someone talk about my friend like that just isn't helping my mood. I'll give you fellas ten seconds to get out of here and leave my friend alone," Ryan said, cracking the knuckles on his hands by simply flexing his fingers. "Or, we can do this the hard way. And to be honest, I'd prefer the hard way."

"Ryan," Jonah said, his tone suggesting a hint of warning in it.

"Not now, Jonah," Ryan said.

"Uh, boss, maybe we should listen to him," a Boomer said. He scooted over to his boss, gesturing for him to lean closer. "I think this is that Hunter and human we was hearin' 'bout the other day," he whispered into the Spiker's ear. The Spiker seemed to become paler than he was right now and turned to Ryan.

"You know, on second thought, we've got somewhere else to be," he said, chuckling nervously. "Come on, fellas, let's go…do that thing we had planned." With that, the Spiker and his gang ran away, surprising Jonah.

"Ryan, what did you do?" Jonah asked.

"Hmph. Seems news travels fast among Sentient settlements," Ryan said.

"What do you mean?"

"Well…um…remember that one stop we made before finally getting here?" Ryan asked, Jonah nodding. "Well, I got into a bit of brawl…against twenty other Sentients. And…um…let's just say we won't be visiting that town ever again."

"How bad were you hurt?" Jonah asked, suddenly concerned.

"Huh? Who said anything about me being hurt? Those guys fucking asked for it," Ryan said, rubbing his head. Jonah looked at him with shock. "What? Something I said? Anyways, I'm dropping you off at the hotel before anyone else decides to mess with you. By the way…how did they know you weren't an infected?"

"Um…they might have seen my hands," Jonah said, tapping his chin. "Maybe we should get some gloves for me. Then again, that might look even more suspicious." Jonah then stopped, looking at Ryan. "Wait, what do you mean, drop me off? You're not staying?"

"I've just…got some steam to blow off, alright?" Ryan replied, gesturing for Jonah to continue his walking. "I'll be done in an hour or two. Just in time for lunch, right?" Jonah thought about it and slowly nodded.

"Alright," Jonah said. "Guess I'll see you when you get back. No reason to babysit me," he continued, walking away, waving over his shoulder. "You go ahead and finish up whatever you're doing. I'll let the others know how long you'll be gone."

"Thanks, kid," Ryan said, running at a building and jumping, using the windows to get up on the roof.

* * *

><p><strong>This chapter is separate from The Hybrid in that it shows what two of my characters were doing with the free time before lunch. Next chapter will show a bit of that. Please Review.<strong>


	10. Chapter 10

Render grumbled as he followed the three girls and Jonah into a clothing store. After the decision for the groups to stick together**(Side Note: Check Apocalypse Survivor's story)**, time had been taken to split into groups to look for specific items. Render and Jonah had quite literally drawn the short straw to accompany the girls to go shopping for clothes for everyone. "I am not getting anything new," Render grunted as they entered the store.

"Oh, no, you're not weaseling out of this," Jenna said.

"But-"

"No buts," Jenna said. "You're still covered in blood and guts, Render, even after numerous showers." She then looked at Jonah and Ellie. "Actually…how did you and your group manage to stay so clean?"

"Ah, that would be my doing," Jonah spoke up. "My dad was in the military, so I've learned a lot of skills that are surprisingly useful, including some stealth skills he taught me. We've managed to avoid fighting in our travels."

"Fine, I'll get some clean clothes," Render grumbled, stalking off to a section of the store that held hoodies.

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><p>"Alright, what kind of ammo are we looking for?" Andrew asked.<p>

"Let's see," Ryan said, ticking off on his fingers. "We've got Render's Uzi, your buddy's hunting rifle, a revolver, a SMG I managed to get my hands on earlier, and whatever you kids are carrying."

"Right then," Andrew said as he went over the list he had with him. He then looked over at Eric and Thom, who had gotten their hands on some explosives. "Explosives, check," he said.

"What, you planning on robbing Fort Knox?" Ryan asked as he watched the boys stick anything they could fit into their duffel bags, grabbing whatever ammunition was nearby and any explosives that were in arm's reach. He turned around and let out a sharp gasp as he spotted what was something of a familiar friend to him. Owen watched as he pulled down a sniper rifle, one just like the tier 2 sniper in Left 4 Dead 2.

"You okay?" Owen asked as he watched Ryan begin to pull pieces off, inspecting each one.

"Fine, just fine," Ryan replied as he put the weapon back together. "And I think we've just something to add to the armory."

"Hey, anyone have a preference for shotguns?" Eric asked as he walked up with a stack of six shotguns, two tactical shotguns, two SPAZ-12s, and two old fashioned pump shotguns.

"I found some rapid fire," Thom said, coming from the other direction, holding an assortment of automatic rifles.

* * *

><p>"Right, I think we have enough for a couple weeks," Geoff said as he held four large duffel bags filled with food, Fred holding two, while Jackson walked beside them with only one. "Well, for Render, at least. With that metabolism of his, we may have to load everyone up with at least one bag."<p>

"That'll slow us down," Jackson said. "We have to figure out how to ration this stuff."

"Good point," Fred agreed. "Too bad we don't have any wheels. This would be so much easier if we had even a trailer. Geoff and I could pull it along no problem."

"Hey, guys!" Jonah yelled to them as the two groups met at the front of the hotel, Render, Screen, and Jenna ignoring Jackson, who stepped a little bit behind Geoff. "I see you had luck with finding food," he said, looking at the duffel bags.

"And it would seem that the clothes shopping went well," Fred said. "Hey, is that a pink hoodie I see?"

"What do you think the odds of making Ryan wear this would be?" Jonah asked, holding up the hoodie in question.

"Depends on who's asking him to wear it," Fred replied, chuckling at the thought of his friend being forced to wear the hoodie. "Anyways, we have a slight problem with the food. See, with Render's accelerated metabolism, this food will be gone in a matter of days. And without a way of transporting more food than this, we're stuck in a rut."

"That is a problem," Jenna said, while Jonah scratched his head before walking into the hotel. "Hey, where're you going?"

"Just to ask Clark a couple of questions," Jonah replied. Jenna looked at Jonah's companions, who all shrugged. "Hey, Clark," Jonah said as he spotted the owner of the hotel. "Is there a scrap yard around here?"

"Well, actually, if you look just out back, you'll see one," Clark said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder. "The surrounding buildings block it from view, except for one alleyway."

"Mind if I take some things out?"

"Help yourself. No one's comin' to claim anything anytime soon," Clark said. Jonah began to walk behind the counter, but stopped.

"Hey, do you know anyone with some muscle that might be willing to help me?" Jonah asked. Clark walked towards Jonah and then past him, opening a door.

"Sure thing, Jonah," Clark said. "I'm rather interested now."

"Thanks," Jonah said, smiling. They walked through the door, Jonah looking around at the mountains of scrap. "Oh, this will do nicely," he said, laughing a little. "Alright, first things first. I need something large as a chassis."

"How about that?" Clark asked, pointing at the chassis of what Jonah guessed to be a terribly mangled bus.

"That'll do just fine," Jonah said, nodding, walking towards it. "Alright. Clark, if you can help me keep this a secret from everyone until this thing is down, I'd appreciate it."

"Hey, my lips are sealed," Clark said, using his fingers to pull an imaginary zipper across his…upper jaw.

* * *

><p>"Nice spread," Render said as he looked at the weapons Ryan's group had brought back. "Hey, what's up with the sniper rifle?"<p>

"That would be mine," Ryan said, picking it up.

"How are you going to get to the trigger?" Render asked. Ryan looked at the trigger guard and put a finger on it, pulling, the trigger guard snapping off. "Ah. Like that. Do you know how to use that thing?"

"Yes," Ryan said, looking down the scope. "It was…something of an essential for me before the infection."

"What do you mean?" Owen asked as he picked up a Desert Eagle and a magnum, testing the weight of both.

"It's….nothing," Ryan said, shaking his head. "Hey, where'd Jonah get to?"

"Dunno. Last I saw him, he was going into the hotel to ask Clark some questions," Render said, shrugging. They three looked up as the door opened, Jonah walking in, his face smeared with something black. "The hell happened to you?"

"Nothing," Jonah said, yawning and stretching his arms. "So, is this your room or the armory?" he asked, looking at the weapons spread all over the floor, carefully stepping between weapons to get to the desk in the room, pulling out the rolling chair and sitting in it.

"Believe it or not, this is actually my room," Render replied. But Jonah was lost in thought with something else, while Render continued to talk, asking Ryan about a weapon he didn't recognize.

"Taser," Ryan replied. "A very well disguised taser, at that," Ryan said, picking up the pistol-like taser. "The trigger gives it away." He pulled the trigger, which didn't move. "Bolted in place. If I were to take a guess, I'd say there's a button on the handle to activate it."

"Sweet," Owen said, taking the taser from Ryan, who went back to inspecting some of the shotguns.

* * *

><p>"Alright, Clark, just a little more to the right," Jonah said, Clark moving a large steel cabinet two inches to the right. "Perfect." Clark set it down, stepping out of the back of the vehicle he and Jonah had been working on for three days now. "Almost done, Clark."<p>

"I'm not gonna lie, Jonah," Clark said. "I am very impressed. I didn't think anyone your age could do something like this."

"Well, I didn't really do shows and games," Jonah said. "I was more into the military kind of stuff and a little automotive work. Lucky that there was so much to work with here."

"Right. What's left?" Clark asked.

"The engine," Jonah said.

"And where do you plan on getting it from?"

"Here…there…around this yard," Jonah said. A few hours later, Clark was setting in the final piece, shocked at how short of a period of time Jonah had spent cobbling together an engine that could move this…monstrosity of a vehicle. "Thanks for your help, Clark," Jonah said as he began connecting the necessary components between vehicle and engine. "And that was a great idea for setting up three semi-truck diesel tanks as a fuel system. We should get a few days of straight driving now on one fill up."

"Well, shall I go get your friends?" Clark asked.

"Nah. I've still got a few more things to do on this thing before it's completely ready," Jonah said, looking up as the lights around the scrap yard lit up, brightening the dim area.

"Anything I can help with?"

"No, I got this," Jonah replied. He continued working into the night, falling asleep just as he finished the final piece. When morning came, he woken up by Andrew shaking his shoulder. "I'm up!" Jonah said wearily. "I'm up."

"Jonah," Ryan said from behind Andrew. "What the hell is this thing?" Jonah looked out the windshield to see both groups now staring at his creation.

"This?" Jonah asked, smiling tiredly. "This is our own personal apocalypse RV, Ryan." Jonah stepped out of the vehicle, stepping back to admire it. He had built off of the bus chassis, widening it and then using armor plating that had been conveniently lying around the yard to build the cab around the chassis. It was large to hold a group more than three times the size of Jonah's group and Render's group combined. Geoff and Fred saw that they would easily fit inside of the vehicle, while Jonah turned back to the two groups. "We've got storage space for food and gear. There are six weapons cabinets, so we'll have some room for extra weapons should we pick up anymore. We've got about six diesel tanks for the fuel system and the engine was cobbled together. We can leave at anytime now."

"This…is where you've been for the past three days?" Jackson asked, pointing at the vehicle.

"Yep," Jonah said. "I've always been interested in automotive work and this is probably the best work I've ever done and perhaps will do."

"Not bad, kid, not bad," Ryan said, patting Jonah's shoulder. "Alright, everyone back inside. We still have things to pack before we leave tomorrow."

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><p><strong>Now they have wheels. Please Review.<strong>


	11. Chapter 11

"Alright, let's get this thing moving," Jonah said as he started the group's new vehicle. It roared to life, nearly deafening everyone as it first started up, but it became silent quickly, though they could still hear something of a purring noise from the engine. Jonah breathed a sigh of relief.

"Jonah," Render said, noting the sigh. "What did you think the odds of this thing of starting up were?"

"About fifty five percent sure," Jonah replied.

"And the other forty five?"

"Um…I'd rather not discuss what went through my head at the time," Jonah replied, putting the vehicle into drive and pulling carefully out of the alley. He made his way through the town, the residents all looking at the vehicle with many different expressions. The guards opened the gate, watching the monstrous creation rumble on by them. "Alright, where's our first stop?"

"Actually, I was thinking maybe we could drive straight through to Hard Rain," Render replied, standing behind Jonah. Render walked back, taking a seat at one of the three tables in the vehicle, sitting across from Andrew and Owen, who were in conversation. Jackson was at the very back of the bus, sleeping, while Ryan and Thom were putting up the weapons, though Ryan kept the sniper rifle out, apparently planning to perform some maintenance on it. The girls were all sitting together, Screen and Jenna talking, while Ellie sat there and listened, speaking up every once in a while. Eric was talking with Fred, while Geoff was managing to read a book he had found in Cherrygrove.

They continued on for about three hours, Jonah and Ripper now the only ones awake, Jonah because he was the driver, while Ripper was simply keeping Jonah awake, yipping at Jonah whenever he saw the human starting to close his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know," Jonah said, rubbing his eyes. "Thanks, Ripper." He yawned, pulling over to the side of the road, standing up and stretching. He walked over to the door, making sure it was locked, before turning back around and walking over to the open bed just behind the driver's chair. "Wake me in about four hours and we'll get moving again," he mumbled to Ripper, who trotted back to Render and curled up beside the infected teenage boy.

Ryan snorted near the back of the bus, waking up, rubbing his eyes with his knuckles. "Wha?" He looked around, noting the bus wasn't moving and got up, walking to the front. He saw Jonah sleeping in the bed and got into the driver's seat, starting it up. He winced when he turned the key, but was surprised at how quietly the engine started up. He took a few seconds and looked at the wheel, before nodding and putting the vehicle back into drive. He started down the road, driving for about two hours before stopping, his eyes narrowed at the grouping of tents and makeshift building about two miles ahead. "Shit," was all he had to offer in the way of words.

* * *

><p>"Why the fuck am I awake at four in the morning?" Render growled, glaring at Ryan, who shrugged it off. The Hunter had woken everyone up, saying they all needed a talk.<p>

"Because of that," Ryan said, pointing out the windshield to the encampment up ahead. "I decided to take the liberty of driving ahead for a bit when I came upon this. After doing a quick recon, I learned it's a survivor camp. With big guns. _Really_ big guns." He looked at Render and his friends. "You five seem like hardcore gamers. So I assume you know what a mini gun is. Because I saw three on just one side of this encampment. I don't even want to imagine what they've got in the other areas."

"So what do we do? Drive around?" Jonah asked.

"No. We're gonna go straight through. But first," Ryan said, looking at his fellow infected. "We figure out how to hide the Sentients in our group. Now, Jenna, Screen, and myself would be pretty easy. We just need to find something with a hood for Screen, while Jenna and I find a way to hide our claws. Heavy duty work gloves, maybe, or we just keep 'em in our pockets. We can use the rain poncho we got for Ellie, which is more than big enough to hide her body and claws. Render…hm, maybe we can do the same for you that Jenna and I can do. Fred, Geoff…you guys are damn near shit outta luck. We can maybe hide you in the back, _maybe_. We'll just have to hope that they aren't big fans of vehicle checks."

"Wait…maybe…we can claim we captured them," Owen said.

"What?"

"CEDA surely is looking for specimens," Render spoke up. "And I can't think of a better way to get through a Survivor camp than to pretend we're their so-called saviors."

"Alright, now answer me this. Where do we get the suits?" Ryan pointed out, to which Jonah began to shift a bit. "Jonah. Is there something you'd like to share with the group?"

"Um…well, one of the vehicles I used to make this thing was a CEDA vehicle. There was a rack in there that Clark and I hadn't been able to get open, as well as a container of some kind, but we built it into the vehicle just in case. There might be some uniforms in there," Jonah said, standing up and walking to the very back of the bus. "Jackson, give me a hand." Jackson came back and grabbed one end of the seat Jonah as the teenager grabbed the other end of the seat back there. They lifted it up, surprising everyone else, who hadn't been expecting a moveable item in this vehicle. "That handle there," Jonah said, pointing at it. "The container and rack are stacked together. The rack is first, followed by the container. Two birds, one stone, if we get lucky with uniforms."

"Kid, you are something else," Ryan said as he walked up to the lock, looking at it. "Hey, anyone got a pin?" He looked over at Screen, Jenna, and Ellie. "Girls?"

"And what makes you think we have any?" Jenna asked. Ellie walked forward, pulling out a hairpin. "Oh."

"Thanks," Ryan said, grabbing it with the tips of his claws. He slid the hairpin into the lock and began to jiggle it, his ear to the lock as the tumblers began to fall into place. "That should do it," he said, pulling the pin back out and handing it to Ellie, who carefully stuck back into her hair. Jonah grabbed the handle, pulling it and sliding the door open. Behind the door was indeed a rack of CEDA uniforms, several different sizes in fact. Ryan ruffled Jonah's hair carefully. "Kid, when this is all over, I'm gonna owe you big time."

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><p><strong>Convenient, huh? Please Review and hop on over to Apocalypse Survivor's story, <strong>**The Hybrid****, to see if they're successful. Well, not right now, obviously, but…ah, you get the point. Also, as you can see, I didn't forget about my story. I haven't touched any of my stories in the past two weeks for personal reasons, but everything turned out alright in the end, so I'm back. So, like I asked already, Please Review.**


	12. Chapter 13

"Render," Jonah said as the young teenager walked onto the RV. "Where have you been?"

"Talking," Render replied. "The leader knows, by the way. About me." The group groaned.

"What the hell did you do?" Ryan asked. Render looked up and did a double take. For the first time since meeting him, Ryan's hood was down. And Render was surprised. Ryan looked almost human, except that his eyes seemed to have glazed over, the irises silver. His hair was pitch black. Render noticed that Ryan's teeth weren't as sharp as he would have thought, though he did have a fang hooked over his lip on the left corner of his mouth. "What?" Render shook his head.

"Nothing. Just talked, like I said," Render said. "And…um…offered our services to the camp…" he added, though he had looked at his iPod as he said this, acting like it wasn't a big deal.

"Such as?" Ryan prompted.

"Er…CEDA," was all Render had to say.

"A little more?"

"Look, if you want to know so much, then why don't you just talk to him yourself?"

Ryan growled, pulling his hood back over his head, tucking his hands into his pocket. "You are something else, kid," Ryan said, stepping out of the RV. He made his way to what reminded him of a camp center and Ryan came to the realization that this may at one point have been a camp. He then shrugged. When he went in, the lady sitting at the counter looked up. "I want to see your boss," Ryan said. "And don't bother going for that button, lady. I hear anything that sounds like men with guns in that office and you're gonna learn what it's like to be on my bad side," Ryan said as he walked past the woman, who was staring at him flabbergasted. He looked at the door of the leader's office, shrugging and walking straight in.

"Can I help you?" the man asked. Ryan stopped and stared at the man. The man had large, cold gray eyes and a head of close shaven black hair, shot through with streaks of silver. "I said, can I help you?" the man said again as Ryan didn't answer. "Hey…hey! Why you…Answer me!"

"Sir!" Ryan said suddenly, pulling his hands out of his pocket and saluting the man. "Private Ryan Selini, sir!" Ryan then mentally berated himself as he realized that his military habits had kicked in.

"Ryan…" the man stood up, limping on his right leg and walking over to Ryan, his eyes showing some shock. Ryan looked at the leg, his mind flashing back to when the man had received that injury. He had still been a rookie at the time and like an idiot, stood and looked at the live grenade at his feet. The man had pushed him out of the way, taking some of the shrapnel in his leg. The doctors had said he was lucky it hadn't cut an artery, but he wouldn't ever walk again. He had proven them wrong and the limp was the result of it. "My god, what the hell happened to you?" the man asked, seeing Ryan's claws, snapping Ryan back to the present. Ryan hesitated and then pulled his hood back.

"The Green Flu virus happened, sir," Ryan said, still standing at attention, though his hand was no longer saluting.

"And how in the world did you end up here, of all places?" the man asked, sitting back down.

"Colonel Jones, permission to sit?" Ryan asked, again mentally berating himself. His habits were beginning to kick into high gear.

"Just Harold now," the man replied. "You're no longer in my command, boy. Now, please, take a sit. No more formalities." Ryan grabbed a foldable chair off the wall, unfolding it and sitting down. He looked at his former commanding officer, Harold Jones, and this time, couldn't stop the flow of memories he began to experience. After a few minutes, he looked up when he heard his name called multiple times. "Ryan, are you okay?"

"Sorry, sir," Ryan said. "Just…bad memories."

"Well, I can tell they're about your time in the military, but I didn't think being in my unit was that bad," Harold said, laughing.

"No, sir, it wasn't," Ryan said. "It's the memories afterwards that trouble me."

"Afterwards? I was led to believe that you had been discharged on the grounds that you had heart problems," Harold said.

Ryan snorted. "Bullshit. I haven't had heart problems a day in my life. No, sir, I was reassigned to…something much more dangerous. I regret it, but that doesn't make it any better when those memories pop up."

"Well, I'm sorry to hear that." The two men grew quiet, waiting for the other to say something. "So," Harold said after a few minutes. "Are you traveling with that Render kid?"

"Yeah," Ryan nodded. "That's why I came here. He told us he had offered our services to you. Something about CEDA."

"Yes, that," Harold said. "Well, I suppose I may as well tell you, too." Harold motioned for Ryan to come closer and began to whisper to him. "CEDA wants specimens. Carriers, infected, whatever the hell is carrying the Green Flu virus. If we can't provide them with a specimen when they come, they threaten us. To burn this place down. They don't give us food. We've nearly starved to death on many occasions." Ryan's eyes widened, though it was more in anger than anything else.

"Those…those…bastards," Ryan growled, Harold backing up in surprise. He had seen Ryan when he was angry before the infection and was scared back then. But Ryan angry now…Harold was downright terrified. Chills ran down his spine as Ryan growled, too scared to move. "You have my help," Ryan said. "All of my skills. I am yours to command, sir." Ryan walked out of the room, pulling his hood back up and tucking his hands in his pocket. He walked back to the RV and when he got there, he looked at Render, nodding. "Alright, kid. I can't speak for everyone, but I can tell you that I'm in."

"Cool," Render said, flashing a grin.

"Guys, what's going on?" Jonah asked. He was the only one who had heard the two and was curious.

"We're declaring war on CEDA," Ryan said.

"What? Why?" Jonah asked. "Can't this be discussed instead?"

"Jonah, there are some things in this world that I cannot forgive," Ryan said, pulling his sniper rifle from behind the seat and began to take it apart. "CEDA has this place by the throat. Their demands are specimens. The consequences include the possible burning down of this area and even a cut off from food. CEDA's made their true intentions clear. Next time they come here, we're sending a message that this place is off of their travel stops from this day forward."

"Ryan," Jonah said, his tone making both Render and Ryan look at him. "There's always a peaceful resolution. Before you do anything, at least let me see if I can make a deal with them."

Ryan and Render looked at each other before looking back at Jonah. "Jonah, I don't think that'll work with these people," Render said.

"You just have to talk to the right people," Jonah said before walking to the door of the RV. "But if I can't change their minds…" Jonah left his sentence unfinished, walking down the stairs.

"What was that about?" Render asked.

"I have no idea," Ryan said. "In fact, I don't know a lot about Jonah. I never wanted to ask."

* * *

><p>Jonah walked along the edge of the camp, kicking a rock along with him. "There's always a way to peace without violence," he said out loud. He stopped at a tree, sitting down, resting against it. He held his head in his hands, pulling his knees up. "It's because of fighting I lost my mom," he whispered, a tear falling off his chin.<p>

* * *

><p>...<strong>I think I may have revealed a little more about two of my characters than I wanted to…anyways, sorry for the long wait, those of you who have waited so long. I've been learning about time management thanks to college and so…well, it certainly is a chore. Anyways, please review.<strong>


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